


Contingency Plan

by echowolfM



Category: Harley Quinn (Comics), Poison Ivy (Comics), Wonder Woman (Comics)
Genre: F/F, Open Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:40:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 42,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24510940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/echowolfM/pseuds/echowolfM
Summary: Harley gets herself in some kind of trouble and Pamela is forced to team up with Wonder Woman to save her.
Relationships: Diana (Wonder Woman)/Pamela Isley, Pamela Isley/Harleen Quinzel
Comments: 67
Kudos: 209





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> My brain had an idea it couldn't get rid of. So here we go.

“Happy birthday, Harls.” Pamela murmured, pressing light kisses against her cheek.

Harley gave a big stretch and wrapped herself around her bedmate and closest friend with a hum. Pamela had arrived at her apartment late last night and after a healthy serving of Chinese takeout and some not safe for work activities, they had fallen asleep in each other’s arms. It was the perfect pre-birthday night, and she was excited to find out what the redhead had planned for the rest of the day.

“Mornin’, Pam-a-lamb,” Harley buried herself in her best friend’s arms, satisfied with their current position and content to just sleep the morning away. “Can I get like five more minutes with ya?”

“Come on, Harley, we’ve got a full day ahead of us.” She could feel the woman’s full lips curve into a smile against her skin, “And your boy toy Mason’s been calling all morning.”

“It’s Pam time right now,” Harley kissed Pamela’s collar bone, “He can wait.”

She could tell Pamela liked that when the redhead curled around her and held tight. “How about we take a shower? It’ll wake you up and we can have a little fun in the meantime.”

Harley could never say no to such a sweet deal. They rolled out of bed together and tangled themselves up under the hot water. After some time, they managed to separate long enough to actually wash each other and finally get out.

They prepared breakfast- well, lunch, together. Pamela cooked pancakes while Harley chose the best blueberries to add to them. They sat around Harley’s small table and chatted back and forth while they ate.

Just as they were having an in depth conversation about the benefits of hanging vines vs climbing vines, Harley’s phone rang. She checked the ID and groaned. She sent it straight to voicemail and turned the device off.

“Mason again? He probably just wants to wish you happy birthday, Harls.” Pamela picked up a stray blueberry with her fork and offered it to Harley, who happily picked it off the utensil and popped it in her mouth.

“I told him I wouldn’t be answerin’ since I was gonna be with you.” Harley shook her head, a little annoyed but trying not to let it ruin her thirty second birthday. God, she was thirty two now… she never thought she’d make it this far. “He’s gotta learn his boundaries and such. Pammy time is Pammy time, and Mason time is Mason time.”

“You’ve most certainly answered my calls when in bed with Mason,” Pamela teased, elbowing Harley lightly. “Besides, what if it’s important?”

“Well, all those times you never knew I’d be with him.” The blonde reasoned. “Can’t punish ya for unintentional crimes and all. And if it was important, his ma would have messaged me at this point, or he would have showed up on my door.”

“You’ve met his mother already? And she has your number…” Pamela made a face at that. “You’ve known him for, what, two months?”

“His ma’s the reason I met him in the first place.” Harley stacked their now empty dishes and headed to the kitchen. She dumped them in the sink and turned on the hot water. “I thought I told you that?”

The redhead thought for a moment. “Hmm, maybe you did. Anyways, I’ve got to say I’m surprised he’s stuck around for so long. I can’t wait to meet him tonight.”

“Wish I could say the same for him.” Harley sighed as she took up a sponge. “I kinda talked you up. Like, _big time_. He’s terrified of ya. Spent all yesterday morning trying to weasel info outa me on how to get on yer good side.”

“Charming.” Pamela laughed, coming up behind Harley and wrapping her arms around her torso. “Did you tell him he’s already on my good side for being so good to you?”

“I tried.” She shrugged. “He’s just nervous. This is kinda his first open relationship attempt.”

“I see.” Pamela rested her chin on Harley’s shoulder. “Do you think he wants to be more serious with you?”

“Honestly, yeah…” Harley suddenly felt a little uncertain. “I really like him too Pammy, but I ain’t looking for serious. He knows that.”

Pamela is quiet for a moment, and Harley can feel the weight of everything against their shoulders.

They had given an exclusive relationship a fair shot in the early days Harley’s emancipation from Joker, but neither of them were in a good enough head space to support each other in the way they needed without sacrificing their own health and happiness. After a long break and a stint as best friends with benefits, they had settled on the only other option was available.

Pamela couldn’t afford Harley the time and attention she needed from a relationship, and Harley couldn’t drop her life to follow Pamela’s work. Seeking what they couldn’t receive from new people while still having each other was the perfect compromise.

The only part of that long conversation that devastated Harley was that they both had to consider the fact that they might find someone that _was_ able to provide everything. They had both cried over the idea; Harley the moment it was mentioned and Pamela in the dark of the night when she thought Harley was asleep. But it was an idea that they both had to accept in order to move forwards.

And yet… she knew Pamela hadn’t moved forwards.

Harley always told Pamela about her side pieces, and when she felt something stronger with Mason Pam was the first person to know. She knew the green skinned woman was more quiet about her intimate life unless prompted, but even when directly asked Pam had few stories to tell. A couple of men here or there, maybe a weekend with a pretty lady…

But nothing that _really_ excited her. And Harley had a pretty good idea of what excited Pamela.

“So… how about you? Got any hanger ons recently?” Harley pried, trying to shift the mood away from herself.

She felt Pamela give a small huff of a laugh. “I’ve been too busy. Next week I’ve got a massive convention in Florida about conservation and the removal of invasive species in the Everglades.”

“Well then why are you here? You should be gettin’ ready!” Harley turned to her friend, horrified that she might be getting in Pamela’s way.

“I’ve been pulling all nighters for weeks so I could have this weekend free for you.” Pamela was quick to soothe her. “And, if it’s alright with you, I’ll stay in town a few more days and fly out directly to Florida from here.”

“If that’s alright? Pammy I’d _love_ for you to stay a while longer! Heck, you can stay _forever_ if you wanted!”

Harley didn’t miss the tenderness that quickly formed in Pamela’s eyes and realized what she had just said. “Peanut, I’d _love_ to stay forever, but it… just isn’t possible right now.”

Harley let out a sigh. Her voice was small when she responded. “I can wait for you, Pammy…”

Pamela’s face tightened, and she pulled her close so that their foreheads pressed together. “I can’t ask that of you, Harley, you know that. I don’t know how long this cause will need me for, or how much of my time and energy it will demand of me at any given time. All I want in the world is for _you_ to be happy.”

They hold each other for a while, a response stuck on Harley’s tongue. _But what about **your** happiness?_

Harley knows it will only lead to another circular argument, so she decides against it. They finish cleaning up the dishes and kitchen and use the rest of their time to get ready for the night Harley’s friends had planned for her.

The night was _amazing_. Certainly, one Harley would never forget. She got to talk with so many of her friends and family, and watch Mason attempt to impress Pamela, who had dialed up her charms and sharp banter to eleven just to make him squirm.

She had promised that night to Mason, so Pam crashed at Selina’s hotel room for the night. Harley enjoyed Mason, she truly did, but as they settled down for the night, she couldn’t help but think of Pamela.

After trying and failing to sleep for a while, the blonde snuck out of bed and down to the living room. she made up a bowl of cereal and flicked on the news. Surely there was something wacky going on in the world that would get her mind off the problem that was Pamela Isley.

And sure enough, the Justice League was fighting some big bad monster, and the live news coverage was running to get a good shot from afar. Harley watched the heroes at work, completely enraptured by the spectacle of the Super cousins, Wonder Woman, and even a Green Lantern duking it out with some weird beast from space. She rooted for Kara and Diana and laughed as Guy Gardener got whacked into a neighboring building.

The event ended all too soon though when the Hawk couple and another Lantern came to offer support. The beast was beaten into submission and then wrapped in a big green bubble to be lifted up, up, and away, back into space and returning the night to its uneventful normal.

Harley was a little sad the chaos didn’t last longer, but her mind had finally been pulled far enough away from the Pamela problem that she felt she could finally go to sleep. Drinking the rest of her cereal, she tossed her bowl and spoon into the sink for later and went back to bed.

As she settled up against Mason’s side, she mulled over the highlights of the newsreel and absentmindedly pet his muscular arms.

An idea hit her like a freight train.

No, like an atomic bomb!

She shot out of bed and grabbed her phone, startling Mason awake.

“H-Harley? What’s wrong?”

“I’m a god damned genius! That’s what’s wrong!” Harley grinned as her call was picked up on the second ring.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think i'll be updating this on Tuesdays.  
> Yes.  
> Tuesday sounds good.

Pamela’s heart was in her throat as she burst into Harley’s apartment complex. Almost all of Harley’s friends were there, circled around a table and looking down on an all too familiar note.

“You all got one too?” She demanded without any greeting.

Mason spoke up. “Ivy, thank goodness you’re here! We don’t know where to start!”

It had been two days since she had last seen Harley, having left her to go to her weekend conservation convention. She had gotten back to her hotel room from her last speech and found her own letter waiting for her on the bed. And after almost breaking her bank on a surprise three-hour flight, Pamela had arrived in Gotham just thirty minutes ago.

She snatched up the letter on the table to see if it was the same.

And sure enough, it was.

_To the friends of Harley Quinn,_

_Let’s play a little game, shall we? I’ve got your pig-tailed boss with me here, and I’m already getting tired of her company. I’m thinking I should just end her story right here and now, rid the world of a nuisance like her, but I’d be inclined to spare her miserable life in exchange for a fun time._

_Think of it like a scavenger hunt! It will be so much **fun**. _

_First thing’s first. Our chosen player will need a partner. Let’s see if she gets the hint._

Pamela gritted her teeth. There was no hint on _either_ letter.

“It’s the same one I got.” She looked about the room. “Did _any_ of you get a different letter in any way?”

Everyone shook their heads.

“What should we do?” Mason asked, worry evident in his voice.

Pamela pulled out her own letter and compared it side by side to the Harley Gang’s one. There was _nothing_ different about them. She scowled as she came to a frustrating conclusion. “None of us are the chosen player. Whoever grabbed her is probably just warning us to stay out of whatever Harley got herself into. Who was the last person to see Harley?”

Some of Harley’s roller derby friends raised their hands. Summer spoke up. “We was getting dinner together after practice. She went home on her own and before we knew it Mason was calling us up about the note.”

“Was this sent to all of Harley’s friends?” Tony asked her.

Pamela was about to respond that she didn’t know but her phone suddenly rang. She looked at the ID and her heart lifted when she saw it was Selina.

“What the hell, Ivy?! Did you get a note too?” The woman sounded more pissed off than worried, but she knew that was just Selina being Selina.

“Yes, and so did her crew in Coney Island. Where are you right now?”

“Gotham, where else? Are any of you the ‘chosen player’?”

And with that, her heart sank again. “No, none of us are. I was hoping it was you.”

“Should I go to you-know-who with this?”

Pamela thought for a moment. They had no idea who could have taken Harley or what they were capable. Hell, they could be under this person’s very nose and they had no idea.

“This ‘chosen player’ is supposed to have a partner, and I’m pretty sure these letters are just warnings to not interfere with the game because someone else is already on the case. Let’s give it another few hours for whoever the player and partner are to get their shit together and call around. _Then_ , we’ll start to worry.”

Selina let out a sigh. “Look, I’m kinda in the middle of some stuff right now. Keep me posted, okay?”

“Of course, I’ll talk to you soon.” Pamela ended the call and looked back to the eyes that had locked on her. Almost all of Harley’s friends were still in town from Harley’s birthday and they were all so worried.

And they were looking to Pamela for support or answers.

She swallowed down her own fears and put on a brave face. “You heard me. We’re going to have to play the waiting game for now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t scout around for some intel.

“Summer, take the rest of your team and retrace Harley’s steps from tonight. Tony, you know Harley’s usual haunts. Take the Harley Gang with you. Everyone else, check wherever you can think of, ask anyone that might know Harley, and be _careful_. We don’t need whoever took her to feel pressured.”

Everyone scrambled out of the doors while Pamela stayed put, leaning on the table and examining the letters. Before she knew it, Madame Macabre and Mason were the only people left in the room. The older woman placed a hand on her shoulder.

“We’ll find her, dear. Don’t you worry about a thing.” Macabre gave her a reassuring smile, and Pamela nodded.

She looked to Mason, who seemed uncomfortable. “I- I’m sorry I didn’t look out for her. I should have…”

“Don’t.” Pamela stopped him before he could continue. “I love that girl to death, but this mess is probably all Harley’s fault. She can get into an astounding amount of trouble when left to her own devices. We’ll figure this out. Hopefully whoever this ‘chosen player’ is gets in touch with the rest of us before they start playing this game.”

Mason crossed his arms and sighed. “I’ve been realizing that recently about her.”

Macabre mentioned something about making tea and disappeared into Harley’s kitchen. Pamela knew she was just giving them some space to talk.

“Will that be a deal breaker?” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“N-No, not at all. I’m no stranger to trouble. I just… worry.” He let out an even bigger sigh. “I’m not too good at this open relationship thing. I really do care for her.”

“Are you jealous then?” Pamela challenged, standing tall and stepping towards him.

“No! I completely understand what she has with you is different than with me. And when she’s with you I’m not angry or upset or anything.”

She relaxed immediately. “Then you’re doing fine with this relationship. So long as Harley’s happiness is the priority here, and you do _nothing_ to upset her, everything will be fine between the three of us.”

Mason thought about that for a moment, but just as he was about to respond, there was a knock at the door.

Pamela and Mason exchanged a wary glance. All of Harley’s friends knew about her open door policy. Feeling a little blind without her usual security system of plants and vines, Pamela approached the door and looked through the peep hole just as Madame Macabre returned with a pot of tea and a stack of three cups.

“Who’s at the door?” She asked.

Pamela blinked at the person standing in the hall. “Wonder Woman.”

“What?”

Stepping back, Pamela pulled open the door and the Amazon warrior was standing right there in the threshold, holding a familiar looking letter.

“I’m guessing you also received a letter?” The tall woman asked, holding her own letter up.

“Y-yes.” Pamela moved out of Wonder Woman’s way and gestured for her to enter.

The Amazon headed straight for the table, picking up Pamela and the Crew’s letters and comparing it to her own. After reading over all three, she let out a long sigh.

“This confirms it.” Wonder Woman offered her letter to Pamela. “Supergirl and Creeper received letters as well. Mine was the only one like this, so we assumed I was the ‘chosen player’.”

Pamela warily took the letter and read it over. The first part was word for word the same as the others, but then there were two extra notes at the end.

_One hint is all you shall receive, and if you don’t find your partner, the game will never begin._

_Leaves of three, let it be._

“Supergirl told me it was a children’s rhyme.” Wonder Woman explained. “It makes sense.”

She knew this rhyme well. Riddler had taunted her about it in Arkham since it was warning against the plant poison ivy. Pamela wasn’t sure if she should feel relieved or worried that she would be the partner to the player in this game. On one hand, she’d be playing an active part in saving Harley, but on the other…

She was about to basically be Wonder Woman’s side kick for an indefinite amount of time. _How humiliating._

She continued reading to the last note.

_Now, your partner is the only person that will be able to find the clues. Treat her well, else you won’t be given much help!_

_When you find her, tell her this: A secret we both keep, kept hidden under the sheet._

“I… figured it was something _personal_ after I realized it was referencing you.” The Amazon said carefully. “Do you know what this alludes to?”

Pamela knew _exactly_ what it was talking about, she just didn’t know how this stranger knew their secret. She put a hand on her forehead and breathed hard out of her nose.

“Yes, I do…” Steeling herself, she shook her head and turned to Mason and Madame Macabre. “Tell the other’s the game’s begun. This is a scavenger hunt, so we’ll be going all around town. Don’t wait up for us.”

She hurried out of the apartment without another word. Wonder Woman followed and closed the door behind them.

“Ivy, wait. If we’re going to play this game, we’ve got to work together.”

“I’m _well_ aware of that,” Pamela couldn’t stop from scowling.

“Then where are we going? I can fly us there faster than either of us can walk.”

Pamela finally paused. “I-uhh got drunk with Harley once, and we went to a tattoo parlor to get… matching piercings.”

The Amazon thought for a moment, making a bit of a confused face but quickly shaking it off. “You think the next hint will be where you got the piercing?”

“I do.”

“Alright,” Wonder Woman swooped down suddenly and took Pamela up in her arms, surprising the redhead. “Point the way.”

Pamela bit back a sharp reply about personal boundaries, but knew the woman was right. She directed the Amazon as best she could from the air, trying to ignore how high up they were and the awful, sulfur like smell coming off the heroine.

They made it to the parlor in record time for Coney Island at eleven p.m. during summer break, Pamela was pleased to see the shop still had its lights on. They entered and found the owner working on a full back piece on a very muscular man.

“Sorry, ladies, closed for the night.” The blonde called out, barely acknowledging them. But then she did a double take and gasped. “Wonder Woman?”

“Hello, I’m afraid we need your help.” Wonder Woman greeted as Pamela tried to hide her face behind the tall Amazon. “A friend of mine is being held hostage and we believe a hint to saving her might be hidden in your parlor.”

The woman jumped out of her seat. “Of course! Look around all you want! Wow, can- can I have your autograph when you’re done? Maybe a picture?”

“It would be a pleasure,” Wonder Woman smiled and turned to Pamela. “Where exactly did you get the piercings?”

The artist approached them giddily, giving Pamela a good look finally. “Wait, I remember you! Princess Diana, right?”

Pamela was glad she no longer could blush, but she was surprised when Wonder Woman flinched. “Yes…”

“You know, I had a customer bow out of a PD today. Specifically requested the room I did you and your girlfriend in.”

“Thank you. Continue your business. We’ll just be a moment.”

Pamela pushed past the two women and the gob smacked man and into the back room that she _vividly_ remembered. She entered the dark room and searched it top to bottom. She found the note taped under the table that she and Harley had gotten their piercings on.

She retreated quickly and found Wonder Woman posing for a picture with the artist. Pamela flashed the letter to the Amazon and the woman’s eyes lit up.

“Thank you for your assistance.” Wonder Woman smiled and after signing the man’s shoulder with a sharpie the two stepped outside and into a nearby alley to read the letter.

_Back to the past, where we once had a blast. Wish I coulda stayed, but things back then were rarely okay._

“Where could this be?” Wonder Woman mused.

Pamela thought for a moment. “The last note was personal to Harley and me, so it has to be somewhere in Gotham. Maybe one of our old hideouts? But it isn’t specific enough for me to guess a precise location.”

“I have a feeling this is going to be a long hunt if they’re sending us outside of Coney Island.” Wonder Woman sighed.

“Then let’s get going.” Pamela shoved the letter in her pocket and the Amazon picked her up again.

The woman took off and Pamela held on tightly. They were in the sky for all of two minutes when Wonder Woman spoke up again. “That lady called you ‘Princess Diana’. Why?”

Pamela never thought she could feel so humiliated. “It- it’s the name of the piercing Harley and I got. I guess it was memorable. Probably since we got them together.”

“Oh,” The dark-haired woman said simply. Feeling she was in the clear, Pamela allowed herself to relax for a moment. But of course, that had to come crashing down. “Where is the piercing? My name is Diana, and I am a princess given that my mother is the Queen of Themyscira. It is humorous to share a name with a bodily modification.”

“No where you need to know about, Princess.” Pamela snapped quickly, making Wonder Woman flinch a little. The rest of the flight was spent in a tense silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone asked if i had a discord/tumblr last chapter.  
> No, i don't use discord, but i do use tumblr occasionally. Mostly to post art here and there. My username's echowolfS


	3. Chapter 3

It was in the early hours of the morning by the time Pamela and Diana arrived in Gotham. Pamela was glad for her plant side as the first light of dawn already was filling her with energy, but she could tell Diana was wearing down as they searched one of her old hideouts. She wondered what Wonder Woman had been in the middle of when she had received her letter. She smelled awful, her outfit was dusty, and she just looked all around beat.

Hell, she wondered how Wonder Woman had even met Harley in the first place.

Was this mess even really about Harley, or was this one of the superhero’s enemies taking a very roundabout way to get at her? But then why was Pamela involved in this? And How were the hints so personal to her and Harley? None of this made any sense.

“Have you found anything?” Wonder Woman came up behind her.

Pamela shook her head as she stood up from searching under the lonely, worn out bed at the corner of the small room. “Nothing. I was hoping this would be it, since the first location was personal to Harley and me.”

“This place has some significance to you two?” She couldn’t exactly take offense in the woman’s incredulous tone. The place wasn’t exactly… impressive.

“This was the hideout that Harley and I became friends in.”

The Amazon looked around the room in a different way. “How exactly did you to become friends? No offense, but your friendship has never made much sense to me.”

“Like any of Harley’s friendships make any sense.” Pamela couldn’t help but scoff.

“True.” Wonder Woman’s light chuckle took her by surprise.

Pamela watched her for a moment, but then continued. “Harley and I first met in Arkham. She was my psychiatrist before she was placed on Joker’s case. But we didn’t become friends until I found her bloodied and bruised in the park nearby. I remembered her, fixed her up, and things just continued on from there.”

“That was very kind of you.” The woman turned to her. “Not exactly what I would have expected from a misanthrope.”

“I’ve always given people a chance to prove their worth to me.” Pamela turned away, uneasy under the heroes deep blue eyes. “Harley was one of the select few people that didn’t disappoint.”

Wonder Woman thought about that for a moment, following Pamela out of the room and to the small living space at the front of the hideout. “Have I disappointed you?”

Surprised and a little confused by the question, Pamela turned to the woman. She searched the Amazon’s face for humor, but she seemed genuinely curious. “You haven’t exactly done anything that I could be disappointed in… yet.”

“You were short with me on the flight here.”

Pamela was a little dumbfounded. She could couldn’t remember a time when a stranger that knew what she was capable of confronted her over something so meaningless. “Well, I was uncomfortable. The piercing’s personal. I don’t like being asked about it.”

The woman’s eyes softened and almost looked… guilty? “Forgive me. I did not mean to make you uncomfortable. Sometimes modern nuance escapes me.”

“There isn’t anything to forgive, really.” Pamela waved her off as she turned back towards the entrance. “There’s one other hideout that might be what the letter was talking about. It’s the place we shared before she went back to Joker for the last time. The only problem is that the area around it is now controlled by Joker. His goons will probably be crawling all over the place.”

Wonder Woman gave her a serious nod. “Where is it? I know you and Joker aren’t on good terms, I can go ahead and keep this from becoming a petty turf war.”

Pamela _was_ offended by that. “Oh, I’m sorry, when exactly did I become some brainless side kick? I’m your partner in this sadistic game, remember? Besides, you wouldn’t even know where to begin searching that area for the hideout. It’s practically a hole in the wall.”

Wonder Woman, to her credit, doesn’t argue with her, but she does rub the corners of her eyes with one hand. “Very well then. Lead the way.”

The second hideout was clear on the opposite side of the city, but with Wonder Woman’s abilities they reached it and snuck over Joker’s goons in broad daylight in half an hour. Everyone in Gotham steered clear of Poison Ivy’s old haunts, fearing any leftover deadly toxins and pheromones that might be hanging in the air, so they didn’t even have worry about new tenants or squatters.

Pamela reassured the Amazon that it was safe and the two quickly tore the cramped, dark apartment apart. The letter was found hidden in the curtains that had never been closed once during her and Harley’s stay.

_Salutations!_

Was all it read. Pamela was sure now that whoever had kidnapped Harley knew them both intimately.

“What could this mean?” Wonder Woman asked her.

“It’s an inside joke. Harley had an old friend named Sal who opened a restaurant downtown a few years back. _Salutations_ is the name I suggested for it as a joke, but it stuck.” She sighed, folding this letter and shoving it in her pocket with the others.

“So, our next stop is a restaurant?”

“I guess so.”

Not wanting to draw too much attention to themselves, Pamela pulled back the green of her skin and they made a quick stop at her apartment in Canal point so Wonder Woman could borrow some casual clothes.

Pamela was a little surprised to find the woman was actually taller than her by a few inches when she wasn’t in heels, meaning her clothes were a little on the short side for the Amazon. Wonder Woman didn’t seem to mind though, and she could surprisingly rock a long skirt and blouse even over her armor.

They arrived at the restaurant just as the staff was opening for lunch, and Sal recognized Pamela immediately.

“Pammy, dear!” The old man greeted her with open arms, and Pamela could never say no to the eighty-three-year-old- well, she thought he was eighty-three. He vowed to her long ago that she’d learn his age after reading his gravestone. He had become one of her closest friends when she and Harley had hidden out in his attic for a few weeks. “Welcome, welcome! I heard about what happened to Harley, but I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about now that you’re on the case!”

Pamela kissed his cheek when he pulled away from the hug. “We’re working on finding her right now. We’ve received a tip that there might be a clue to her location in your restaurant. Has anyone dropped off a letter or note or anything here recently?”

Sal thought for a moment. “Why, I think so! Some kid dropped off a letter here the other day that was addressed to ‘Wonder Woman’. Silly kids these days.”

She exchanged a glance with Wonder Woman and looked back to the old man. “Can we see it? It might help us find Harley.”

“You can look, but you can’t read.” He shook his finger at her. “Reading someone’s mail is not your kind of illegal, Pam.”

“Ahem,” Wonder Woman cleared her throat and unbuttoned her blouse a little, flashing the top of her armor. Sal changed his tone immediately.

“Oh, well why didn’t you say so! Sit, sit, I’ll go find the letter. Have you two eaten today? You look starved! I’ll fetch you the usual!” Sal ushered them into a booth and Pamela didn’t have it in her heart to decline. The Amazon also didn’t argue.

Sal returned with the letter quickly but had to step away for his lunch patrons.

_Happy life, happy wife._

Pamela’s heart sank a little. “Well, now _I’m_ stumped. I have no clue what this could mean.”

“Maybe it has something to do with this restaurant? Did you two have any certain… conversations here?”

 _No, that talk was had in Coney Island when we decided to try an open relationship_. “No. We never talked about marriage here.”

She and Wonder Woman sat in silence for a while, looking about the small restaurant and searching for any clues to where they needed to go next. It took barely ten minutes for a plate of fresh Jambalaya was placed before them both alongside a glass of their house made grape juice. Pamela hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she smelled Sal’s cooking. She thanked their waitress and placed the letter to the side for now.

The Amazon tilted her head at the pairing.

“Harley discovered it.” Pamela reassured. “The girl’s got a talent for finding good but weird food combinations.”

Wonder Woman cautiously took a mouthful of the jambalaya and hummed happily at the taste. Sal was a damn good cook for downtown Gotham. Pamela credited it to his age and use of fresh ingredients, provided by the greenhouse she built for him on the building’s roof during her stay.

Pamela waited for the hero to chase the bite with the juice and chuckled at the pleasantly surprised look on her face as she swallowed. “Awful, isn’t it?”

“It’s perfect.” Wonder Woman smiled, taking another bite. “The perfect amount of spice, a lovely aftertaste, and the juice only enriches the experience.”

“Didn’t realize the great and powerful Wonder Woman would be such a foodie.” Pamela teased.

Sal came back to their table just as Pamela began to eat. “How are you two ladies, doing? Is everything to your liking?”

“Amazing as usual, Sal.” Pamela praised.

“Your food is wonderful. Thank you.” Wonder Woman added.

Sal bashfully waved the compliments off. “Just doing my business. Have you two got a clue as to where Harley is?”

Pamela offered the note to Sal. Maybe he’d see something they were missing. “None. This was all that was written.”

Sal read over the line a couple times. “You know, this reminds me of when Dahlia and I went on our honeymoon.”

Pamela couldn’t help but smile. She had heard the story a hundred times, given that Sal loved recounting memories of his deceased but still deeply beloved wife. It was a good thing she loved the story regardless. “I still don’t think you can call it that.”

Sal turned to Wonder Woman, who was watching the exchange quietly but was obviously a little lost. “Dahlia’s my late wife, God bless her soul. We met in Germany when the US still occupied it after WWII. I was getting shipped back in a week, and I spent every spare hour with her. The day I was supposed to head back, our flight was delayed for a week. We took it as a sign from God and we got married right away.

“She came back with me, even though I had no money to my name. Well, twenty years and two kids later, we had our restaurant and lots-a money to spend. We went back to Europe to visit her family and finally had our honeymoon. Pammy here thinks it’s just a vacation since we took the kids, but we left them in Germany with her parents. I remember they were so mad they couldn’t come with us to Paris! You know what I said to them?”

Sal turned to Pamela, and she answered. “Happy wife, happy life.”

“Happy wife, happy life.” Sal nodded with a knowing smile. “The Honeymoon was worth the wait! We went to Poland, Romania, Greece, Italy, and France as well before picking up the kids in Germany again. Three wonderful months… What a wonderful summer!”

“It sounds like it was a lovely trip.” Wonder Woman said as Sal became lost in his memories for a moment.

“It was.” He pointed to something behind them, and they looked to the wall behind the booth. There was a map of Europe, and on each country he named there was a small pin placed on the spots they visited. A string was crudely tied around the pins, creating a misshapen heart. “The highlight of our love life-,”

“ _Thankyou,_ Sal,” Pamela quickly cut him off.

“Right, right, what was it? TMI? I’ll leave you two to your lunch.” Sal blushed a little as Pamela leaned over and gave him a thank you kiss on the cheek again.

As soon as Sal left, Wonder Woman spoke up. “I thought your kisses were toxic?”

“Only when I want them to be, Princess.” Pamela fluttered her eyelashes at the woman. She expected an annoyed response, or even a bashful one. She did expect to be met in kind.

“Diana.” The hero gave her an attractive smile, mockingly fluttering her eyelashes in return. “Please, call me Diana.”

Pamela gave a light huff but couldn’t keep the smile off her lips. “Well then, Diana, our food’s getting cold.”

They continued to eat their meals in silence, thinking over the hint they were given. A thought came to the redhead, but it felt almost too ridiculous to even consider.

But apparently, she and Diana were thinking along the same route. “What if… the next hint is where Sal had his vacation with his wife?”

“I was thinking the same thing.” She glanced up at Diana, and for the first time she noticed dark lines at the corners of the woman’s eyes. “You’re tired.”

Diana shook her head. “I’ll manage.”

“If we’re right our next stop is in Munich, Germany.” Pamela pressed. “We can go back to my place, pack a bag, get a good night’s sleep, and head out whenever we wake up.”

The Amazon locked eyes with her, and they glared each other down for a moment. “I promise you, Diana, I’m _far_ more stubborn than you are.”

The taller woman watched her for a moment longer, and then sighed. “Fine.”

After paying for their meal and tipping generously despite Sal’s protest, Diana flew them back to Pamela’s apartment. She quickly prepared her couch for the woman, having no other beds to offer other than her own leafy hammock. While Diana rested, she took the opportunity to go around and tend to her plants before scheduling a caretaker for the next two weeks at least with the possibility of a third.

Her neighbor was happy to help once she offered double the pay, and Pamela finally went to her room to turn in. Before she did, she warned her plants of the sudden plan change, and soothed them when they were unhappy about it. While petting one of her more sensitive ferns, Diana called out to her.

“You can really speak to all plant life?”

She turned to the woman and leaned against the door. “Yes, I can.”

“Is it something you can turn off or on?”

“Sometimes. Depends on the state of the world around me.”

Diana mulled that over for a moment. “That must be very overwhelming.”

“It can be, but I’ve grown used to it.”

The Amazon watched her for a moment, and Pamela felt strangely uneasy under her gaze. “Thank you for helping me.”

“Sorry, Princess, but I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing this only for Harley.”

Diana shook her head. “Right. But regardless, thank you.”

And with that, the woman laid down on the couch and covered herself with the large throw blanket. Pamela stared after her for a moment, more than a little confused, but she eventually shrugged it off and headed to bed herself.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the mixup last week. don't know how those chapters got scrambled around.

Diana wasn’t quite sure what to make of Poison Ivy.

From all of the stories she had heard from Batman, she had expected a woman on the brink of total insanity. Sure, her moods felt unpredictable at times, but that came with the territory of working in a high stress situation with a stranger.

She had slept easily in Ivy’s home. It was filled with vines and ferns, reminding Diana of her home on Themyscira. It was even raining softly when she woke up again. Checking the watch she kept under her armor she found it was about nine at night. It was dark out, but some of Ivy’s plants were under growing lights that still dimly illuminated the room. 

It wasn’t exactly the lair she had assumed it would be. The living area looked almost normal, with a sofa and a small tv and coffee table. Walls of plants and gardening supplies kept the room full, but not uncomfortably cramped, and rain pattered on the large skylight above her head. Feeling a little restless at the quaintness of the villainess’ home, Diana stood and began to examine the plants surrounding her.

There were some that she recognized, but most were completely foreign to her. Knowing the woman was famous for her poisons, she refrained from touching anything. Diana found her way into the kitchen and was once again surprised at how normal it was. There was a fridge, a sink, a stove… it was just a normal kitchen.

As she re-entered the living room, she felt as if something had changed. It appeared as if the plant life had perked up. Some of the flowers had opened slightly and entire bushes seemed to stand taller than moments before.

Before she could even wonder at this, Ivy entered the room. The redhead’s eyes were trained on the couch, but when she realized Diana wasn’t there, she looked about the room, finally finding the Amazon before the kitchen.

“Are you hungry? Feel free to take whatever you want from the fridge.” Ivy offered.

“I’m well, thank you.” Diana moved to meet her at the center of the room. “When would you like to leave?”

“As soon as I have a shower.” The woman stretched and popped her shoulders, rolling them slightly as she spoke. “You can take one as well once I’m done.”

Diana was surprised at how casual Ivy was speaking now. The woman’s lover was in danger. She had been so worried only hours before. “We should hurry, shouldn’t we? I’ll contact the league and have them send my invisible jet out to us right away.”

“Diana, whoever took Harley isn’t expecting this to be a very fast game. We have some time to gather ourselves. Plan our next move.”

“And that move is a shower?”

“No, our next move is to get to Germany. The shower is the ‘gathering’ part.”

Seemingly done with their debate, Ivy turned on her heel and retreated into the back room. Despite how nonchalant she had been, the redhead took a fast shower and all but bullied Diana into the bathroom while the air was still hot and thick with moisture.

The Amazon was wary of some of the products Ivy had, which all seemed to be home made, but they admittedly smelled delightful and felt amazing against her skin. Diana hated to admit it, but she wasn’t always the best at self-care. She had just returned to the League from a weeklong search and rescue mission in the Philippines after a volcano erupted when she received the letter about Harley and hadn’t given rest a second thought since.

When she stepped out of the shower, she found her armor missing.

After drying off a little and wrapping a towel around her waist, she went looking for Ivy, who had to have been the one to take it. She found the woman tending to her plants on the balcony.

“Ivy, what have you done with my armor?” Diana demanded, growing impatient with so many setbacks.

Ivy let out an annoyed huff and turned, but paused, her eyebrows lifting a little in surprise. It was then that Diana remembered the world outside Themyscira did not approve of bare breasts. She tried crossing her arms to cover herself for the woman’s comfort, but it was apparently not needed.

Once the surprise wore off, Ivy didn’t seem to mind, meeting her eyes easily. “It was disgusting. I took the liberty of washing it and placing it on the bed. You must have completely missed it. Regardless, I’m ready to be off. Get dressed and we can get going.”

Diana felt as if she had been dismissed, so after a moment she turned back to the bedroom to retrieve her armor. When she was dressing, she noticed her armor smelled fresh. Not like flowers or plants or the earthy scent that was faintly present under the foliage of the apartment, but fresh like the first time she had put it on. The fresh smell of Themysciran fabrics nearly brought a tear to her eye.

Once she was finished with this mission, she decided to plan a visit home. She had been gone far too long. She heard the familiar sounds of her invisible jet coming to a halt above the building and left to collect Ivy.

“What did you do to my armor?” Diana asked. When the redhead tilted her head a little, she clarified. “It smells like new.”

“Oh, that. I’ve been toying with creating eco-friendly cleaning products to fund my side research. What I used on your armor will be hitting the market some time next year. It’s supposed to destroy odor causing bacteria and leave no after scents.” Ivy then let out a small laugh. “Brought my middleman to tears when it saved his unbearably smelly cowboy boots.”

“It works well.” Diana hadn’t known the eco-terrorist had been dabbling in socially acceptable uses for her experiments. It made her feel a little easier in the green woman’s presence. “Come, our ride is here.”

Ivy grabs a small backpack from the sofa and the two head up to the jet, Diana using her gift of flight and the redhead using some of her vines. Once they were settled into the jet, the vines retreat and the two took off towards Germany.

“Do you know exactly where in Munich Sal and his wife went?” Diana asked over her shoulder.

“They went to see the maypole at the Viktualienmarkt first. I bet that’s where our next clue will be.” Ivy answered.

The flight was going to be a long one, and Diana prepared herself for ten hours of silent airtime given how their previous flights had gone. But then the woman surprised her.

“How did you come to know Harley?” Ivy asked.

“I happened to meet her while she was still apart of Amanda Waller’s squadron.”

“Her ‘suicide squad’, you mean?” The redhead’s voice is bitter and hateful. Diana couldn’t blame her. What Waller had done was twisted and inhumane.

“Yes. I was fighting a man that called himself Sorrow, a man whose face could kill with a single look. She looked right at his face and didn’t even flinch. I came to respect her then, but we became friends during later encounters.”

“I remember her telling me about that.” Ivy hummed. “She said it was a face only a mother could love. Well, a mother and some bold Coney Island subway rats.”

“I wouldn’t know. I never looked at him.” Diana admitted. “Harley Quinn is really something else.”

Ivy lets out a soft sigh. “Yes, she truly is.”

Diana nearly speaks before she thinks, but something still didn’t make sense to her. Steeling herself, she asked her question, “How did you two become involved? You’re so different from her, it’s remarkable that you two get along in the first place.”

She could practically _feel_ green eyes glaring holes in the back of her head. “It’s remarkable that _you_ would get along with Harley, given that rod you have up your ass.”

Diana felt her temper flare at that, but she did just ask a bit of an inflammatory question to a stranger. Still didn’t help her control her own tone. “Forgive me if I’ve offended you. I was merely curious.”

They sat in silence for a long while after that, but eventually the tension in the air faded over time. Diana was kicking herself internally, but she refused to spend the next ten hours in complete silence. She remembered how quickly Ivy had forgiven her before and took a chance.

“You said you’ve been working on eco friendly cleaning products? Is that a lucrative business?”

She could feel the pressure in the cockpit return to normal. “Depends on the business I work with. I just make the products, it’s the business that markets and sells it for profit. I’ve made a tidy sum on some and haven’t seen a dime on others.”

This was a conversation Diana was sure they could carry safely. She asked the woman what made certain cleaning products ecofriendly, and how businesses contact her in the first place. The Amazon had a small amount of knowledge on business practices due to her title as Royal Ambassador to Themyscira, but she mostly listened to Ivy explain her part of the practice, occasionally throwing out a question here or there.

Their conversation barely lasted an hour though before they were both obviously tired of the subject. Diana set her jet to autopilot and let out a sigh.

“We could have slept on the way here instead of at your apartment.”

“Diana, you were practically asleep on your feet. Besides, I don’t sleep well on long flights.” Ivy scoffed. “Tell me, how did an Amazonian warrior come into possession of an invisible jet?”

“Back in World War II a jet crashed landed on Themyscira. The pilot managed to fix it again and a magical blessing turned it invisible. The jet was given to me upon his death during the war.”

Ivy was quiet for a moment. “Well, that doesn’t add up. I thought you came to the US ten or so years ago?”

“I went back to Themyscira after the war.” Diana took a long breath. “I… needed some time back home. I saw _many_ atrocities back then.”

“Were you good friends with the pilot?”

Diana hesitated before answering. “Yes. His name was Steve Trevor. He told me of the wars in the outside world, and I accompanied him back to help.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.” Once again, the redhead surprised her. Her voice was gentle and understanding, and she didn’t press any further.

“There isn’t anything to forgive,” Diana echoed Ivy’s words from before. “You didn’t know, and it wasn’t a bad question to ask.”

The flight to Munich was pleasant enough from there. They chatted back and forth about politics and business, steering fully clear from the former working relationship they had as enemies. Of course, ten hours was a long time to fill, so conversation lulled here and there, but it was never from boredom or annoyance.

Diana was sure Batman would be loathed to learn that Ivy was actually an enjoyable person to hold a conversation with- so long as she wasn’t upset or angry.

They arrived in Munich at around two in the afternoon and landed the jet in a tree that Ivy grew to hold it up and out of the way of civilians. Luckily for Diana, the redhead thought ahead and had packed a few outfits that fit the Amazon well enough to hide her armor. After Ivy hid the color of her skin, they went out into the marketplace, which was teeming with people.

“This is a functioning marketplace, but it’s also a tourist hotspot.” Ivy explained as she tried to keep up with Diana’s single-minded strides through the crowd.

Diana looked back to say something, but a group of men suddenly cut between them and Ivy vanished from her view. When the group passed, she could see the redhead was getting frustrated. Seeing an easy solution, Diana reached back and looped their arms together.

Ivy seemed startled, so she explained, “I’d rather not loose you in the crowd.”

The woman nodded, and they made their way to the Maypole. They searched around it, but saw no letter or note or anything, and with so many people around they were getting shouldered and pushed around no matter where they moved.

“I’m not seeing anything.” Diana had to raise her voice to Ivy could hear her. She looked to the redhead and was surprised to see Ivy looking incredibly uncomfortable. “Ivy?”

“Sorry,” the woman shook her head. “not a fan of crowds.”

Diana immediately felt horrible for not noticing sooner. She searched for a clearing in the crowd, and when she couldn’t find one, she opted for the fastest option of reprieve. Gathering Ivy in her arms quickly, she jumped up and flew away from the crowd, startling the people surrounding them. Ivy held onto her tightly and shouted something about giving people warnings before picking them up, but Diana was suddenly more interested in the masked man on the roof of a nearby building, looking right at them and teasing her with a letter.

“We’ve found our guy.” Diana warned Ivy as she followed the man, who had jumped down into an alley.

Unfortunately, he was gone by the time they arrived, but the letter was waiting for them.

_910 acres of displaced beauty. Find the tower and ask for a drink._

Diana was just about fed up with these vague, impossible to solve hints.

“I know where this is.” Ivy said as she took the letter.

“Of course, you do.” The Amazon rubbed her brow. “I’m beginning to believe this _game_ isn’t really about Harley or me. She’s just the bait that got you to play.”

“I’m beginning to think that too.” The redhead looked uncomfortable as she put the letter in her bag. “The English Garden is 910 acres. It’s the biggest city park in all of Germany, and its probably talking about the Chinese tower, a massive pagoda. I’ve always wanted to go there. But if this is all about me, why am I the ‘partner’ in this game? How are _you_ involved in any of this?”

“Ivy, I’m worried.” Diana admitted, turning to Ivy and looking into her pretty green eyes. “Whoever this is knows _intimate_ details about you and your friends. Do you have _any_ idea who might be behind this?”

“I don’t exactly have many personal enemies, and certainly none of them would know about… certain things.”

Diana shook her head and offered her arms. “We’ll reach the park faster in the air. Sorry for sweeping you off your feet earlier.”

Ivy accepted her help, wrapping her arms around Diana’s neck. “I know you were just trying to help, but a little warning would be nice next time.”

Taking up the woman carefully, they flew up high in order to spot the park and keep out of sight of most civilians. They found the park quickly and landed in a wooded area near the Pagoda. Diana hated to say it, but she was already feeling tired. She hadn’t eaten anything all day and was more than a little excited to see a little snack shack at the tower.

“The letter mentions asking for a drink,” She began. “Mind if we get something to eat as well?”

“Of course not. We should have eaten before we left.” Ivy spoke, but she seemed a little distracted.

She was looking around the gardens, watching the breeze move through the treetops and seemingly lost in her thoughts. Diana was surprised she even responded at all. “Why don’t you find us a place to sit. I’ll get us both something.”

She smiled as Ivy only nodded in return, completely captivated by their surroundings. Diana had been gone for only ten minutes, ordering them both simple sandwiches and water bottles, returning to find Ivy half consumed by a large bush.

“I assumed this was a covert mission?” She teased.

“This place is wonderful,” Ivy’s voice is wistful. “So healthy and happy… I wish _all_ the world could see how amazing this place is.”

“Remind me to one day take you to Themyscira. If this place is so wonderful, my homeland will completely stop your heart.”

Ivy accepted the water and sandwich she was offered. Before Diana could even take her first bite, something light hit her head. She reached her hand back and pulled a paper airplane from her hair. She looked back, trying to see who might have thrown it, but there were no suspicious persons in sight.

Unfolding the paper, she found their next hint.

_500 years is a long time, but not for the mighty oak. Come, breach my maidenhood_

Diana immediately looked to Ivy.

“Looks like we’re following Sal’s vacation route. Our next stop is Bialowieża Forest. In Poland.”


	5. Chapter 5

It was dark out by the time they arrived at the Bialowieża forest. Diana was growing tired already, but they were already there. Even with how quickly they had been finding the hints, she was sure this would be their last stop for the day. Hopefully, they’d be able to continue this pace for the next few days and be done with this mess as soon as possible.

“Sal and his wife must have been nature lovers,” Diana said as she landed her jet in another one of Ivy’s specifically grown trees at the edge of the woods. “A garden, and then a protected forest… We might be able to skip a few steps if you remember all the places they went.”

“If only we could.” Ivy stood once the Jet was settled in the large branches and took off her shoes. “Sal never went to the English Gardens or the Bialowieża. They’re all places _I_ wanted to visit. The Maypole was the start of Sal’s vacation, but the rest has just been random places I’ve had on my bucket list.”

“That happen to coincide with the countries from Sal’s vacation.” Diana followed Ivy out of the Jet and into the woods below. “Where do you think the next clue will be? Is there some special landmark in these woods you wanted to see?”

She watched the redhead kneel and place her hand flat on the ground. The entire forest seemed to hum around them, and she remembered what Ivy had said about her powers the other day.

“Someone passed through just an hour or so ago and tied a letter to one of the old oak trees at the center of the woods.” Ivy stood after a few moments. “There’s other people in the forest as well. _Armed_ people.”

Diana glanced around the woods surrounding them. “Are any of them near us?”

“No. They’re collected around the note.”

“This feels like a trap.”

“I’m sure it is, but it’s nothing I can’t handle, especially here.” The woman flexed her fingers and Diana could hear the crackle of growing bark around them.

“I’ve never felt safer.” Diana tried to joke, but it came off a little flat. The redhead raised an eyebrow at her but shrugged it off quickly enough.

She followed Ivy’s lead into the woods and watched in wonder as the natural world responded to the woman’s presence.

Diana felt as if she was watching a dryad return to her woodland home. Unlike the garden, the forest was unkept and untamed. It moved under her feet with every step, clearing the path before them but still reaching out to touch her like a revered goddess.

And Ivy returned each caress in kind, delicately running her fingers against the vines and branches like they were wheat in a field. Diana couldn’t resist also holding an arm out to touch a few of the retreating vines. They didn’t cower from her like she had expected, but they didn’t return the affection in the way they did to Ivy.

“It must be wonderful,” Diana murmured, watching the redhead’s pure bliss before her. “to be so connected to nature.”

“It is,” Ivy replied, her voice soft and pleasant. “I wish everyone could feel what I feel. Maybe then people would start respecting our world and its resources.”

Sometimes Diana forgot that Poison Ivy was an Eco-terrorist, and not simply a villain. She was one of the few criminals that the league faced that had a higher call, a cause that went far beyond her own needs and desires. In many ways, Diana respected her for her devotions, but could _never_ agree to her course of action.

Still, that didn’t make the woman’s abilities any less incredible. 

Using her powers, Ivy made the forest trails easily traversable even in the darkness. Diana kept on her guard regardless, being careful to watch her feet and not let Ivy get out of sight. She tried to keep her ears open for the sounds of anything suspicious, but all she could hear was the rustling of the plants before them. She felt blind in the darkness and unsafe in the underbrush, so she said a little prayer in her head and put her faith in Ivy’s senses.

It was strange having to rely upon Poison Ivy. She probably never would have trusted her before this mess with Harley. She had heard of the woman’s conniving and manipulative nature from Batman and his fellow Gotham heroes many times before… though none of them had complained of the villainess for a couple years now.

Poison Ivy had vanished off the face of the earth for a short time only to return as Pamela Isley. She would be seen in botanical and environmental conferences, working in laboratories again, and bouncing between Gotham and Coney Island on the regular to visit her girlfriend. Diana was surprised Batman hadn’t gotten whiplash at the change. The league kept an eye on her though.

Just in case.

“Diana,” Ivy’s voice is firm when she pulls the Amazon from her thoughts. “There are drones about.”

The forest stills around them, and sure enough, Diana can hear the small buzz of the small devices. Ivy looks opposite to where the sound is, and then snaps her arm up and clenches her fist. there’s a sound of crunching plastic. A vine lowers itself from a nearby tree, offering the crushed machine to her.

“I’ve never seen a drone like this before.” Diana took the drone and flipped it around. The camera on it was completely crushed. “Let’s assume that whoever’s guarding the next hint knows we’re coming now. How far away are we?”

“Couple hundred feet. The people are close, but not advancing on us.” Ivy looked through the woods before them. “Shall I take care of them now?”

It was tempting, but maybe they were misunderstanding their presence. “Did these people appear _with_ the person that tied the note to the tree?”

“Yes.”

 _Damn it._ “Can you simply have a vine retrieve the note for us? We might be able to sneak out without confrontation.”

“Never knew Wonder Woman was so afraid of a little spat.” Ivy scoffed. “If I get close enough to see it… probably. It takes a lot of focus to convince a vine to be sneaky.”

They proceed cautiously from there, keeping low and moving carefully across the forest floor. Ivy managed to convince the plants to not grow too excited by her presence, and when they came across the first small group of armed men waiting for their arrival, she managed to distract them easily by getting some bushes across the small clearing to rustle.

“Up here!” Ivy hissed before quickly climbing a giant tree.

Diana blinked, a little surprised at how fast she scaled the side of the tree and disappeared into its canopy. She followed, making sure no one else could see and joined Ivy in the branches. Looking down into another, larger clearing Diana could just barely see a stark white note tied to a string on a branch of an old, gnarly looking tree.

“Incredible, isn’t he?” Ivy’s voice is dreamy again. “He’s one of the oldest trees in this entire forest. The things he’s seen, the stories he must know…”

Diana does take a moment to wonder with Ivy. The note said something about five hundred years. Maybe this tree was even older than that. Was this place even a forest when its seed sprouted?

She shakes off the thought. “Ivy, we have to focus, remember? For Harley.”

Ivy blinks, and her lips turn down to a serious frown. “Right, for Harley.”

She reaches out with a single hand, and Diana sees one of the vines hanging off the old tree tremble. A leaf from the vine extends and forms a new, tiny branch that snakes down to the letter. Ivy is tense next to her, so Diana chooses to keep her praises to herself for now.

She sees the thin vine tug at the string, and it struggles to untie the knot binding the letter to the tree. Ivy curls her fingers slightly, her brow knitting together in concentration. Diana feels strangely stressed as the knot slips slightly with each tug the vine gives it, but before long it is pulled apart and the letter begins to fall.

Ivy quickly snatches it up, using her other hand to grow some of the grass at the base of the tree to catch it and slowly begin ferrying it towards them. Diana smiles despite herself, turning to encourage the woman, but as she does the glint of a scope stills her heart.

“Get down!” Diana wraps her arm around Ivy’s neck and pulls her down just as a shot goes off and ricochets off her bracelets.

Ivy bends the tree around them as more shots ring out, but Diana is more baffled than scared. She knew what bullets hitting her bracelets felt like, and these didn’t feel like that at all.

“They’re rubber bullets.” Diana warns.

“So, they _don’t_ want to kill us?” Ivy raises an eyebrow at that. “They do know who they’re up against, right?”

“Maybe their boss forgot to mention us.” Diana rolled her shoulders and prepared for a fight. “I’ll grab the letter; you keep them off me.”

Ivy nods and makes a small opening above them. Diana launches out of it just as Ivy takes obvious control over the forest surrounding them. Roots burst from the ground, vines coil up like striking snakes, and bushes rustle threateningly.

Bullets rain down upon them as Diana lunges for the letter, still entangled in grass right where Ivy had left it. She snatches it up as a great vine surrounds her, defending her from the hailstorm of rubber bullets. Diana smiled at the sentiment as one bullet manages to sneak by the vine and hit her bare shoulder. It felt no worse than a bee sting.

Shouting broke out through the forest as Ivy’s plants finally found their targets. Diana retreated back to the redhead’s side as vines snatched away their guns and tangled them up. She did pause when they began to let out screams.

“Ivy!” She barks, and the woman gives her a look she hasn’t seen before.

It’s anger, but it’s disproportional anger. An anger far deeper than what was justified for getting shot at with rubber bullets. A wild, wide eyed anger that pulls on even Diana’s fear response.

Ivy turns away from her and commands one of the vines to pull its victim close. “Who do you work for?”

Her voice is demanding, venomous. The man doesn’t respond. At all. He doesn’t even flinch. Diana moves to stop Ivy, but suddenly all rage is gone from her face. The air around her changes to annoyance as she flexes her fist.

“No!” Diana barely gets the word out before the man is crushed under the vines. She waits for screams, but only hears the awful grind of metal against metal. One by one, the vines crush the people they have ensnared, and each one made the exact same awful sound. “Great Hera…”

“Whoever’s taken Harley has a lot of money behind them.” Ivy comments, now completely complacent and calm as she jumps down to the forest floor. “An inch of skin like rubber over a metal body. It even has an electronic pulse running through it to mimic a heartbeat.”

“You were going to kill them regardless.” Diana takes no time in letting her displeasure be known.

Ivy whirls on her, but then hesitates. “Whoever they work for has Harley. I… lost myself for a moment.”

Diana wants to chide her further, but she does understand. There had been many times where she saw her fellow league members forget their morals in order to save a loved one. Diana wasn’t above killing in battle if her life depended on it, but she did understand that unnecessary killing could throw one’s life into turmoil.

And Ivy didn’t need anything to push her back to the dark side.

She shook her head. “Let’s just read the note and get back to the jet. It’s late, but we can at least try to figure out where to go next.”

Diana handed the note over and Ivy opened it for them both to read.

_Spelunking in Slovakia. A dreary place for pretty pansies, but what an adventure for an Amazon!_

“The game’s shifted.” Ivy commented.

“Yes, it has.” Diana watches the redhead refold the note and put it in her pocket. “There’s a cave system in Slovakia I’ve been meaning to visit. The Karst Caves.”

“Slovakia’s the third country Sal and his wife went to.”

“We’ll head to the most popular cave since there are no other hints.”

Diana allowed Ivy to lead her back to the Jet, both completely quiet and contemplating the change in the game. Now that the focus had moved to Diana, any theories they both had were out the window. After sharing some small rations Diana kept in her Jet, they slept on the floor of the cockpit with a few emergency blankets she had stowed away. Far too early, they were both woken up by Ivy’s phone.

“What the fuck do you want, Mason?” Ivy growled into the receiver, her voice gravely from sleep.

Diana rolls over with a small groan.

“No, we haven’t found her yet… Three days? No, it’s been two at most- well, we had to go to Europe… quiet down your call woke me up. YES IM SLEEPING ITS BEEN DAYS SINCE WE BEGAN THIS BULLSHIT.” Ivy gave a long, exasperated sigh. “Look, I’ll do better about keeping you all posted. I promise. Now, let me fucking sleep or I’ll tell Harley you were being a whiny little bitch through this mess… Mark my words, you’ll never hear the end of it.”

And with that, Ivy hung up. “One of Harley’s crew?”

“Mason, her boyfriend.”

Diana let those words roll through her mind for a moment, then she propped herself up on one arm. “Boyfriend?”

“Guess you wouldn’t know.” Ivy settled down on her blanket again, pulling it tight against her. “Harley and I don’t believe in monogamy. Sorry about the call. I’ve turned my ringer off.”

Diana blinks for a moment, and then brushes her apology off. She hadn’t known anyone outside of Themyscira and some _very_ restrictive countries to have multiple partners. It… was almost reassuring to know that there were those in the outside world that wouldn’t judge her for her past experiences. Maybe even understand her homeland’s ways.

 _No, they wouldn’t understand._ They couldn’t understand the years of loneliness. Of knowing the women you were raised around so well that sex was for release and not love. They’d never know the hope she had found in Steve Trevor, and the pain of knowing she’d outlive him if she didn’t die in battle first.

But still, she fell asleep thinking about the two women a little differently.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear things are gonna start happening soon.

They landed just outside of the cave system’s main entrance. It was in the middle of the day when they had awoken, and by the time they had reached the caves the first time it was filled with tourists. After dawning the last of Pamela’s clean clothes and checking last minute tour options, they managed to get themselves into the last group of the day, giving them a couple hours to visit the neighboring town for some food.

Neither were in much of a mood to talk, both still a little worn out from the night’s altercation. Pamela felt strangely embarrassed at having snapped in front of the Hero, and to top it off Diana was now casting her strange glances occasionally. As if she wanted to ask or say something but kept thinking better of it.

Her embarrassment kept her from pressing the issue, so they spent the morning simply resting in each other’s company at a small café before joining their group at their respective time.

Unfortunately for Pamela, the tour guide was speaking French, a language she hadn’t studied since she was in highschool. Diana seemed to be having the time of her life though, and was giving her a roughly translated play-by-play while still trying to listen to the cave’s history.

“Is there any specific place or special feature to these caves that you had a particular interest in?” Pamela asked when the tour leader paused to answer a small child’s question.

Diana thought for a moment. “I’ve heard there’s a large river under these caves, and the few pictures I’ve seen reminded me of my homeland.”

“So, you’re here for nostalgia.” Pamela fought the urge to raise an incredulous eyebrow.

Diana is quiet for a moment. “I’m not exactly welcome home currently.”

She did raise her eyebrow at that. “What, were you kicked out or something?”

The woman’s lips tightened, and Pamela recognized she had gone a step too far. She mumbled an apology and allowed herself to be swept up in the tour again.

Well- as swept up as she could hope to be, given that she couldn’t understand the guide and Diana had seemingly retreated in on herself. She kept herself busy by examining the cavern walls, noting the ripples in the layers of stones and the stalagmites and stalactites all around them. She ran her fingers against the smoothed stones, obviously worn by water and time, and marveled at the natural beauty of the cave. Even she could appreciate the beauty in something that hadn’t been touched by the Green in possibly centuries.

She had become so lost in thought that she didn’t immediately recognize that a man was now walking in step with her, and brushed it off when she heard him speak up. She blinked when he repeated himself, finally realizing he was speaking to her in French.

“Pas de Francais, [No French]” She replied faux apologetically before turning away again. Diana was walking before her, completely enamored by their tour guide. Pamela entertained the idea of intentionally stepping on the back of her shoe to catch her attention but didn’t want to scuff her own shoes.

“Do you speak English? Oder Deutsch?”

 _Fuck._ Of course, most Europeans knew more than one language. “English.”

“You’re an American, I presume? You don’t have the accent for an Englishwoman.” His smile is charming, but she isn’t in the mood for the attention.

“Yes, I’m from America. Are you a Frenchman, or a German? Your accent seems to be a bit of both.” She kept up her appearances regardless. Diana was enjoying this. She didn’t need to embarrass herself further in front of the woman.

“Both. My Mother’s from Germany, and my father’s from France. I grew up in both worlds, bouncing between the two when they divorced.”

“And you just learned English for fun, then?” She raised an eyebrow at him, trying to divert away from his life’s story.

“English’s becoming the business language of the world. I’d have been a fool to not learn it in my field.” He puffed out his chest a little, obviously fishing for her to ask what his ‘business’ was.

Pamela cast a glance at the back of Diana’s head, and decided she might as well humor him. It was going to probably be the most entertaining encounter she’d have today.

“And your business is?”

He was working his way up an international marketing company- a CEO of their advertising branch. Pamela didn’t bother to remember his name, but she did find it amusing how proud of himself he was. When he asked about herself, she wove up a lie about being a climatologist and was backpacking around Europe with her friend. He didn’t seem interested in Diana when she motioned to her, and neither dared to interrupt the dark-haired woman’s enthrallment with the tour.

He asks why they are in a French tour if she only knows English, and she blames it on Diana, saying it was last minute and at least the one that was interested in the caves knew French. Most of the tour group was actually his friend group. They all were vacationing together and had come to the caves as the first stop on their two week stay.

That actually made a little sense, given that half the tour group seemed to be giving the guy knowing looks and teasing smiles.

She doesn’t let their conversation go too deep, knowing what he’s after and not having the energy to truly play along. Their conversation lulls as they reach the highlight of the tour, the underground river.

The man tries to translate for her, but Pamela is distracted by how Diana holds a fist close to her heart.

She wishes she could understand her. Her father had ensured she never felt safe in her childhood home, and because of this she had no childhood nostalgia for certain places or things. She would look fondly back upon one or two memories, maybe even miss the feeling of sitting in her mother’s garden, but they were never enough to make her _want_ to go back to those places.

“Your friend really likes the river.” The man comments as the group begins their climb back out of the cave and Diana lags behind. Pamela waits for her, and unfortunately, he does too.

“She gets spacy sometimes.” Pamela gently touches Diana’s shoulder, snapping her out of her haze. “Hey, we’re going to get left behind.”

“I told Harley I wanted to visit this place.”

Pamela blinks for a moment and turns to the man. “We’ll just be a second. Go on ahead.”

He gives them a concerned look but continues after the group.

“She accompanied me on a mission, and we were trapped in an underground bunker. She asked me if I liked caves, and I told her they reminded me of my home. She mentioned wanting to visit some caves in Venice, and I told her about this place.”

“So this _is_ about Harley. In... some sort of weird, roundabout way.” Pamela hummed, crossing her arms as they looked out onto the water. “So, where’s the hint?”

Diana then pointed to something in the water. “The tour guide was saying something about litter in the water and asking everyone to be careful with their belongings. I hadn’t even thought about it until I saw it.”

And sure enough, there was a note tied to a string deep under the green waves. Pamela glanced back up to where the tour group had left them, listening out for their footsteps. The sounded distant enough, and she could still hear the leader talking over the shuffling of feet.

“Plants don’t grow well in caves. Can you grab it?” Diana nodded, but Pamela had to stop her before she just dove in. “Things will seem weird if you come out of these caves soaking wet. At least take off _my_ clothes before you jump in.”

Diana actually rolled her eyes at her, and Pamela was tempted to smack her, but she does as she is told and strips. Her own clothes are thrown at her with a teasing grin, and Pamela only warns her to not make too big of a splash in response.

The water is obviously freezing by how the infamous Wonder Woman jumped as she stuck a foot under the small waves, but Diana steels herself and submerges herself. It takes two seconds for her to retrieve the note and scramble out of the river, her teeth clenched hard to not chatter together along with her shivers.

Pamela is quick to kneel beside her and brush the chilled droplets from her bare skin and help wring out her thick black hair. When she is as dry as they can manage without a towel, she helps Diana into her clothes again and braids back her hair in an attempt to hide that it is still damp.

Shoving the letter in her pocket for later, they hurried after their tour group to keep from causing any trouble. The man is obviously excited to see her again as they catch up.

“Hey, I was just about to tell the guide we lost some people.” He smiles and mimics her stride like before.

“Sorry, we were reminiscing.” She excuses herself and Diana, who is suddenly very interested in their conversation but not adding to it.

“Nature does that to us sometimes, right?” He gives a small chuckle. “It’s good for self-reflection.”

“That is true,” Pamela agrees honestly, casting Diana a small glance. She looks away when their eyes meet.

The man continues to chat with her until they all leave the cave. Pamela is fed up with the conversation but isn’t willing to rouse Diana’s anger again by being rude. As his group boards a bus back to town, he turns to her.

“Can I have your number, or your email if you don’t want to get charged for international calls?”

“Sorry,” She gives him a genuine smile. “I only give my number to friends.”

He flinches at that, and she can hear one of his friends hiss at her words. She’s harsh on purpose, but the way she says it makes it seem unintentionally mean. To his credit, he doesn’t immediately back down. In fact, he steps closer, almost as if he’s attempting to loom over her. If circumstances were different, she may have given him a night, but nothing more. “Well, how can we become friends if we don’t find some way to see each other again?”

Before Pamela could respond to that, Diana weaves an arm around her back and places a hand on the top of her hip, pulling her close. “Word of advice, kid, take no for an answer.”

Pamela feels whatever she was about to say catch in her throat as the man’s eyes widen with realization. He gives an annoyed apology and rejoins his friends, who are all trying to pump him up again from the rejection.

“They’re saying you led him on.” Diana comments once the group is out of sight.

“I was bored.” Pamela pushes away from Diana. “And I wasn’t leading him on. I was being nice- something a lot of guys misunderstand.”

Diana then seems to realize what she had done and looks almost shameful. “I- I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insinuate… He just was pressing, and you made it _quite_ clear you weren’t interested.”

“Look, I appreciated the sentiment.” Pamela waved her off she headed towards the jet, pulling the note from her pocket as she spoke. “Again, just give me a warning next time. Maybe like a look or something? I don’t know, I just don’t like being surprised.”

She unfolds the note and holds it out for Diana to read as well,

And they both stop dead in their tracks.

_You two are too good at this._

_Head to the address below and slow the fuck down._

_More instructions will find you soon._

She read the address a few times over. Well, it was in Hungary, so it was still following Sal’s vacation, but it was just a hotel.

“What the hell?” Pamela whispers to herself.

Diana was similarly speechless, and for a moment, Pamela allowed her anger to take over.

“Are you fucking _kidding_ me?! We were playing fine! We were going _everywhere_ you wanted! What- how the fuck is going too fast so _fucking_ wrong?!”

She ranted and raved at the letter as if it could hear her, and her fingers clenched it so hard the paper tore in her hand. She was trembling she was so angry, her heart pounding in her head. She could feel the plants surrounding her immediately trying to quell her anger, rising and tensing, ready to tear apart whatever was causing her distress.

But then there was a firm hand on her shoulder, and as she whipped around ocean blue eyes met her.

“Ivy, we can get through this.” Another hand took her other shoulder, and Diana held her steady. “Until we have more information, we’re under this person’s thumb. We can play his game, for Harley’s sake, can’t we?”

Her voice is calm and grounding, pulling Pamela from her spiraling anger. She is still angry, but she manages to remember that loosing her temper will end poorly for everyone involved. And so she grits her teeth and clenches her fist.

“Fine.”

Diana gives her a reassuring smile and lightly squeezes her shoulders before letting go. “Come now, let’s find this hotel.

It only takes a few hours to track down the address to a small town in Hungary. But of course, nothing’s as simple as it seems. Their hotel is located in the heart of Budapest’s red-light district and is _very_ obviously meant for certain activities.

“Is this a fucking joke?” Pamela deadpans.

“If it is, it’s a bad one.” Diana echoes her tone perfectly.

They stare at the doors for a while, unsure of what to do. Finally, Pamela has an idea. “This room isn’t on our dime. We can go check in, get the room key and all, and find a hotel elsewhere.”

“You remember the drone. I’m sure this hotel will be under close watch.” Diana lets out a heavy sigh. “It’s just a hotel.”

“Meant for sex.” Pamela crosses her arms. “Harley wanted to visit one of these places. Maybe this is part of the game? Maybe we’re meant to find something in our room?”

“Our room?”

“Like this sick fucker would be kind enough to get us two.” Pamela rolls her eyes before standing a little straighter. “Last chance to bow out. You sure you want to do this?”

“Like I said, it’s just a hotel. It’s simply grown a… certain _reputation_.” Diana bends down and picks up Pamela’s bag of clothes she had brought with them and slings it over her shoulder.

“After you, then.” Pamela offers, and then follows the Amazon in.

She is forced to handle the check in as the hotel is under her birthname, and they are sent to a nice room on the top floor. Of course, there is only one bed, but other than some deep red wallpaper, suggestive paintings and mood lighting, the room is a normal room.

While Diana showers, she finds the hotel’s laundry room and begins to tend to their clothing situation. When the Amazon’s done, she dawns her clothes from the day before and takes over the wait while Pamela takes her turn under the hot water.

She then waits for Diana to return with the bag of new, freshly washed clothes, and they dress for the night.

“I’ll take the floor.” Diana throws a pillow and an extra blanket onto the ground next to the window and Pamela is tempted not to argue, but the bed is downright massive. It would have been senseless to make her sleep on the hard floor for another night.

“Get in the bed. We’re adults, Diana. We can share.”

And so they settle in under the silk sheets together, with a single pillow between them, and Pamela is forced to confront how comforting it is to have another person in her bed again. Instead of staring at the ceiling for hours after settling down, she’s asleep within minutes.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having a day so here's an early chapter. I'll still be updating again this Tuesday

Pamela awakens with the sun. She dresses in the dark and exited their room, finding her way up to the roof in order to sunbathe for an hour or so. It also gave her some time alone to think and consider what little they knew about whoever took Harley.

Whoever it was knew intimate details about her and Harley’s relationship- the piercing, their shared friend, dream vacations, and the hideout that meant the most to them. Then, there was Diana, who had only one hint that related to her, but it was a place that was mentioned to Harley at least once.

It must be a person who knew Harley intimately. Maybe they could weasel most of those things out of her, but neither had told any of their shared friends about the piercings. The vacations and the hideouts she could see her talking about, but _never_ the piercing.

This person was also apparently wealthy, having humanlike robots that were so realistic they fooled even her own senses while surrounded by nature for a few moments, and having access to high tech drones. She wondered if the person Diana saw in Germany was even a person as well.

She tried thinking through any of the villains that might have a personal vendetta against her, Harley, _and_ Diana, and wasn’t coming up with anyone that could even slightly fit the bill. Though it bothered her more than she’d ever admit aloud, she knew she’d have to be patient for this game.

She dozed in the sun until Diana found her and invited her out for breakfast. They found a small café near their hotel and began making some plans.

“Since we’re stuck here until further notice, I believe we should focus on regrouping. I was thinking I could get some clothes for myself at least, and maybe some other supplies.”

“What, are my clothes and soap not good enough for you?” Pamela couldn’t help but tease.

“Your clothes look better on you, Ivy.” Diana returned the banter easily. “And you’ll be running out of hair wash in no time between the two of us. Is there anything you need to take care of, or anything you need?”

“Not that I can think of at the moment.” Pamela took a sip of her tea. “Mind if I accompany you? I haven’t much else to do today, and maybe we can figure out something to entertain ourselves with after?”

“Not at all, and I’m sure we’ll find something that can occupy our time.” Diana’s smile is flattering in a way that Pamela hadn’t noticed before. It makes her feel warm, and she returns the gesture with a smile of her own.

They spent most of the morning shopping around. Diana’s style is far less elegant and flowery than Pamela’s, but it fits the woman well. She picks up a black, faux leather jacket, some plain form fitting shirts, and a few pairs of jeans and dark, straight legged pants. Pamela does convince her to try on a few things outside of her comfort zone, but only convinces her to buy a flattering black bustier top when she suggests visiting a club during their stay.

Pamela does pick up a few things for herself, including a short but classy clubbing dress for later. After they return to their hotel to drop off their shopping and let Diana change into her own clothes, they find a nice outside restaurant for lunch and begin looking through some options for entertainment.

“There’s a medieval castle close to us. If we leave in thirty minutes, we’ll be able to do a quick walkthrough, and maybe something else before we turn in for the night.” Diana suggests. “There’s also a fine arts museum that could take up the rest of the afternoon.”

“Remember, we’re not sure how long we’ll be stuck here, so we can also plan a few things for tomorrow.” Pamela reminds her. “How about we go to the castle today, and then visit the museum tomorrow. This city’s also known for its thermal spas. I’d like to visit one, and it would be a nice relaxer after walking around an art museum.”

Diana nodded. “Sounds like a plan, but what else will we do today? The brochure says the walk through should only take two hours or so.”

“Lets not overbook ourselves. If we still have time to do something else, there’s a movie theater I saw near our hotel. We can just watch a film and relax for the rest of the night.”

“That sounds good. Is there anything else you’d be interested in doing or visiting in the next few days?

Pamela pulled out her phone and did a quick look into any current events that caught her eye. “Well, what do you know? There’s a band Harley and I like playing in the next city over the day after tomorrow. We might be able to snag some tickets. Are you a fan of rock music?”

“I haven’t heard enough to take a stance, really.” Diana admits. “I usually prefer classical.”

“Same,” Pamela is certainly a little surprised by that. “But Harley turned me. There’s a few bands and singers I enjoy on occasion, and Concerts are a treat when the crowd is right.”

Diana quirked an eyebrow at that. “When the crowd is right?”

Pamela gave her a knowing smile. “Shall I get us some tickets?”

The Amazon takes her challenge quickly. “If they’re bad, I _will_ judge you.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

Pamela finds herself a little unfocused while they tour the museum. She wasn’t the greatest fan of history unless it came to the natural world, but Diana is completely taken by museum, and they end up stalking an English tour group so she can hear the guide talking about the castle’s history.

It’s strange to see the woman so bright and excited about something. It was clear that she deeply enjoyed touring the Karst Caves, but it was more of a quiet pleasure while this was an almost childlike joy. She was pointing out objects, quoting other historical events during certain time frames, noting the differences she’s seen between artistic styles in different cultures, and almost dragging Pamela all over the castle.

Her happiness was contagious, and Pamela couldn’t help but smile along as Diana rambled about anything and everything that caught her eye. She tried her best to take in everything the Amazon was bombarding her with, but most of it went in one ear and out the other, and while Pamela tried desperately to stop that from happening she’d end up missing even more information.

 _Is this how Harley feels when I go on tangents?_ She’d have to remember not to always be so gung-ho about her passions in the future.

Diana had said the walk through should only take two hours or so, but it ended up nearly taking four. Pamela didn’t mind. After just accepting she was just along for the ride for this event, she was able to just sit back and enjoy Diana’s excitement second hand.

They eat an early dinner at a restaurant next to the Danube, and Pamela finds the conversation guiding more towards herself again. Diana is easy to speak with. She’s blunt but never intentionally rude, curious but not nosey, and seems genuinely interested in her life.

“So the Parliament of Trees made up of the former elemental guardians of the Green, and the Parliament of Flowers is the collective consciousness of the plantlife itself?”

“Yes, that’s the sum of it.” Pamela takes a drink of her water, nodding as Diana thinks over her words.

“And you are one of these guardians, so you are a part of the parliament?”

“Not… officially.” She confesses. “The Parliament of Trees is made up of the Champions that have essentially retired from tending to the Green and have become one with nature. I guard the green as best I can, but I have never been chosen as its champion. Reguardless, I have no designs to join the Green anytime soon.”

Diana gives a knowing smile. “I see. So, who is the Green’s champion now?”

“I’m not really sure, actually. Swampthing was up until recently. He… well, he was fired technically. The Parliament of Trees chose another, the King of Petals, but I haven’t seen hide nor hair of the guy since Swampthing was given the boot. There’s also a strange disturbance within the green… I haven’t been able to make heads of it.”

The Amazon’s brow knits together for a moment. “I would have thought you would become the next Champion of the Green after Swampthing.”

Pamela let out a small huff of a laugh. “You and me both. The Trees choose their candidates, but the Parliament of Flowers choose their Champion. I know I’ve been put in the running a few times, but I am apparently not ready. I don’t let it concern me, though. I have time to spare when it comes to waiting.”

Diana cocks her head to the side at that. “How do you mean?”

Pamela curses herself slightly, struggling to find an excuse for her slip up. She didn’t need _anyone_ in the League to find out about the recent discovery she made about her body. “It’s just that I have a whole lifetime ahead of me. Alec became Swampthing in his forties and has been the green’s Champion since the seventies. Time won’t be a problem for me. I can wait however long they’d like.”

Diana hesitates before nodding. She opens her mouth to speak just as a near deafening crash shakes their table. They look down a nearby road and see an animal-like form jumping across car roofs. It takes a moment for Pamela to recognize the creature to be Cheetah. She and the Amazon exchanged a look.

“Ellenőrizze, kérlek, (check, please.)” Pamela flagged down the waiter as Diana bolted towards the commotion.

She takes her sweet time covering the bill, even ordering a small fruity desert to go as she heard the hero and villain tussle, crashing into the sides of buildings and cars. She gathers up their things, collecting Diana’s disguise as she heads towards the carnage.

Diana is having an easy enough time fighting the animal woman. Cheetah was taking her blows like a champ but seemingly was more interested in fleeing than fighting. Police officers were blocking off the streets and pulling citizens away from the fray. It seemed as if the villainess had just robbed some place, given the bag tied to her back was occasionally sparkling around its zipper.

She takes a leaf from a bush as she enters a darkened alleyway and stows away their thing. She grows several long vines from the leaf, letting go of her control over her skin tone and allowing it to become its natural green color again.

Using her vines, she lays her trap before leaving the alley again.

Diana had just attempted to snag Cheetah with her lasso, but had missed, instead catching a street sign and giving the beast woman a chance to run.

“Cheetah, this way!” She called out.

Golden brown eyes lock onto her, and she sees the woman make a split-second decision. Pamela knows she’s snared her prey before the trap has even sprung, and she turns back towards the alley and runs.

Like a good little hunter, Cheetah follows quickly, catching up to her in mere seconds. “What are you doing here, Iv- hguk!”

The woman is clotheslined by a vine, completely swept off her feet as more tangle around her limbs. Diana is on them in an instant, and as Cheetah calls her every name under the sun, the Amazon smiles at her.

“Nice work, Ivy.” Pamela knows the praise is sincere, and it almost makes her swell with pride.

“Rogue’s code, Wonder. The enemy of my enemy and all…” She responds flippantly, gagging the villainess with her vines. “Too bad she didn’t know we’re not enemies.”

Diana’s eyes sparkle at that, but she does shoo her away when the Police arrive. Pamela simply takes up their things again and goes to wait for the hero at their hotel, picking at the desert she ordered while she looked up available movies at the neighboring theater.

There’s a knock on their window eventually, and she opens the blinds to find Diana waiting to be let in. She looks a little worse for wear from the fight, especially now that it’s dark out.

“What’s that saying about vampires? That they must be _invited_ in?” Pamela teases as she works the window open.

“Vampires are a Romanian thing, not Hungarian.” The Amazon chides with a smile. “Besides, I don’t bite.”

“A pity, truly.” She sighs when she gets it open enough for Diana to fit her fingers through the bottom and pull the rusted window open the rest of the way.

“Romania’s just a few hours away. We could skip the museum tomorrow and take a day trip?”

“We’d better stay the course for now, but maybe some other time.”

They take turns showering, and then settle on a movie as it still was far too early to turn in for the night. It was a late viewing of an old, black and white film.

“Are you sure you don’t want to just stay in?” Diana asked as they got in line for their tickets. “It will be in Hungarian. You won’t understand it.”

“I don’t need to understand words to enjoy a film.” Pamela reassures.

After they get their tickets and a bag of popcorn and drinks, they find their theater and settle down.

“Thank you, by the way.” Diana begins as the rest of the audience finds their seats. “For your help with Cheetah.”

“She’s never going to forgive me for that.” Pamela chuckled, remembering the look of shock on her face as she fell flat on her back.

“No, she won’t.” There’s something in the way she says it that tells Pamela there’s a history between the two.

“You know her?” They had delved into her life today, so it was only fair Diana got a turn.

“Her real name is Barbara Ann Minerva. She was a friend when I first came to the outside world. She… blames me for her transformation.” Diana tells her the full story in the time it takes for the sneak peaks to roll, and Pamela can’t help but feel this story sounds familiar.

A hero and a villain, friends before some tragic accident that turns one of their lives down a dark path… Yes, she had heard this story before. And she had heard the tone of accusation punctuating the end of the tale as well.

“She may blame you for not saving her, but her transformation was not your fault.” Pamela takes up one of Diana’s hands, which is closed into a tight fist. “Her greed put her in danger, and circumstances were beyond anyone’s control by then. You _couldn’t_ have saved her.”

Their eyes lock together for a moment, and for a split second she is tempted to look away. But Pamela holds strong, wanting to reassure the Amazon that her friend’s fall from grace is not her fault. Diana gives her a light smile just as the movie’s intro credits begin to roll.

“Thank you, Ivy.”

Pamela only nods in return, and they turn towards the movie.

She wasn’t lying when she said she could enjoy a movie she couldn’t understand, but something keeps her distracted.

How coincidental was it to have Cheetah, one of Wonder Woman’s greatest adversaries and emotional hang ups commit petty theft not ten blocks away from their hotel?

No, it wasn’t suspicious at all.

Not in the _slightest_.


	8. Chapter 8

Ivy fell asleep a mere twenty minutes into the movie, and Diana allows her to sleep through its entirety and even until the credits finish rolling, and they are the last in the theater. She is tempted to just carry her out, but when she lightly touches the redhead’s arm to see how deep of a sleep she is in, the woman shifts and her pretty green eyes open.

“Hey,” Diana smiles down on her. “Movie’s over.”

Ivy blinks slowly, and then sits up, looking about as she stretches. “Apparently. Were you just going to let me sleep until the next showing?”

“You were sleeping so soundly; I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“And now I’ll be up all night.” She pauses for a yawn.

“It takes all of fifteen minutes to get to the hotel, I’m sure you’ll survive.”

Diana insists that they leave arm in arm as Ivy seems a little dreamy after being awoken. When they return to their room, Ivy simply slips her bra off under her shirt and climbs into bed. She is asleep in seconds, but Diana feels a little restless. The run in with Cheetah had brought up lots of feelings, and while telling Ivy their history helped remove some of that weight, all Diana could think about during the movie was her old friend.

 _Why was she here? She wasn’t usually a petty criminal. Could this be a part of the game? Could this just be a massive coincidence?_ Her thoughts are spiraling, and she blames it on the lack of work.

Usually she’d be moving on to the next crisis by now, or she’d have watch duty. Maybe she’d have a spare hour or two and she’d train individually or spar with some of the new recruits. She’d be doing _something_ until she ran herself ragged and collapsed into bed. On her days off she’d be working out or reading or visiting friends both in and outside of the league.

This was precisely why Diana didn’t take vacations. They gave her too much head space.

So, she went on a late-night run. It didn’t give her much else to think about, but it was something her body at least could focus on. It was already late, so she decided to run hard rather than long. Her Amazonian speed and strength took her halfway around the city before she began to feel the runners high kick in, and she took it as her cue to return back to the hotel.

Halfway back it began to rain softly, and Diana relished the feeling of the cold droplets against her skin. She didn’t appreciate it as much when she returned to the air-conditioned hotel. Hurrying back to their room, she quietly made her way to the bathroom to dry herself off and found a change of clothes to wear to bed. She was crossing the room when she was momentarily blinded. The blinds were open just enough that when lightning cracked across the sky, the entire room lit up.

She blinked a moment, her eyes still adjusting to the sudden light change, and then she noticed Ivy’s sleeping form.

The redhead had been soundly asleep, stretched out along the length of the bed and lying on her stomach when she had left, but now she was on her side, and in such a tight fetal position that it seemed painful. Her brow occasionally furrowed, but she was still obviously asleep.

 _Was- was this normal for her?_ It didn’t seem possible for such a position to be comfortable.

“Ivy?”

She let out a small whimper.

Diana approached the edge of the bed and reached for her shoulder. “Ivy, are you-”

As soon as her fingers touched the green woman’s shoulder, Ivy’s eyes flew open. She let out a ragged gasp and her entire body recoiled back. The response frightened Diana, so much so that she fell backwards.

“Christ, Diana?” Ivy doesn’t immediately sound angry, but it builds up fast. “What the hell are you doing?!”

Diana fumbles a moment, suddenly unable to explain herself. “You were dreaming and seemed uncomfortable…”

“So, scaring me awake was your first fucking solution?”

“I didn’t mean to frighten you.” Diana stands slowly, because when the lightning flashes again she sees that Ivy’s eyes are wide and wild, but while she sounded angry she didn’t look it. She still seemed half asleep, so Diana decided to try something. “I’m sorry. I’m very sorry. Let’s go back to bed.”

Ivy is still jarred, and rightfully so, but she is quiet as Diana moves around the bed and settles down on her side. She waits until the redhead also lays back down, and within moments her breathing is even again. Thankfully, Ivy doesn’t curl up in that awful position again, but it did leave Diana awake for hours, staring at the ceiling and wondering.

_What caused her to sleep in such a way?_

When morning broke Diana awoke alone. Worried she might have upset Ivy, she dressed quickly and went looking for her. She finds her on the roof again, sunbathing under the first light of the day.

“Morning,” Ivy greets her easily, and for a long moment Diana isn’t sure if she remembers what happened. “The museum opens early, but I wasn’t sure how early you wanted to start.”

“Let’s get breakfast first before we plan anything else.” Diana responds cautiously. “Do… you remember what happened last night?”

Ivy tilts her head to the side. “Did we do something memorable?”

Diana isn’t sure if she should feel relieved or worried she didn’t remember, but she has no reason to lie. “I think you were having a bad dream last night, and I scared you awake. I… wanted to apologize.”

The green woman blinks for a moment, and she began to blush slightly. Diana’s heart is suddenly in her throat as her mint green cheeks tinted emerald. “Oh, well, nightmares happen. Sorry if I worried you.”

Diana shook her head. “I’m just glad you’re alright.”

Ivy stretched as she stood, the light blush disappearing as soon as it appeared. “Why wouldn’t I be? If anything, _you_ are the one who looks like you had a rough night. Come, let’s go find a place to eat and get the day started. Maybe we’ll get our clue sometime today?”

“Hopefully,” She follows Ivy down the stairs and into the hotel again, trying not to notice how tense the redhead was as they retrieved their wallets from their room.

They found a small café close to the art museum for breakfast, and were one of the first guests through the doors when it opened. She can tell Ivy isn’t super invested in the paintings and statues, but she listens anyways as Diana falls into tangents about certain artists or corrects a plaque about Greek architectural styles. And she doesn’t give her that glassy eyed attention either.

Ivy is wholly focused on her words. Diana can see her mind mulling over rhetorical questions and how she leans in close to examine a small detail that is pointed out to her. She asks thoughtful questions when confused and even teaches Diana a thing or two about some of the chemical processes of art.

She tells Diana about the differences between plant based, animal based, and mineral based pigments, and she talks about the natural wear and tear some artifacts might have gone through due to certain climates. She even is able to explain different types of clay and what they might look like fired completely off the top of her head.

The museum is decently sized, and they end up taking lunch in the small cafeteria inside the museum. They managed to work their way through a large majority of the collection, and she could tell Ivy was beginning to tire of the experience. Diana didn’t mind. She had humored her for the castle tour yesterday, so when they were done she suggested finding one of the spas earlier than they had planned.

“We should stop by a store quickly for a bathing suit, unless you want to go in your under ware.” Ivy says, and so they find the closest store and pick out whatever’s available in their sizes.

They arrive at the spa and Diana quickly fronts the bill, offering whatever treatments Ivy wanted as compensation for talking her ear off all morning. They end up choosing one of the simpler packages and are led away to change into their swim ware.

Diana pulls on her blue black two piece quickly and then is offered a powder pink robe and slippers. Ivy comes out of her changing room in a flattering green bikini. Every curve of her pale body is on full display and already Diana feels exhausted from this excursion. Ivy has braided her hair back and offers to do the same for Diana, who accepts quietly, barely able to find her own voice.

They are taken for massages first. Ivy opts for a full body massage, and Diana is tempted to follow her lead, but when the redhead suggests she do the deep tissue instead she doesn’t argue. She’s grateful for Ivy’s suggestion when her masseur, a burly young man, works out every tight muscle and kink in her back, shoulders, and legs. Ivy has to hold her arm so she doesn’t float away as they are sent to their first true treatment.

“Seems like you really enjoyed that.” Ivy teases as she tosses some water onto the hot coals in the sauna.

“I don’t think I’ve been able to move this well since I first left Themyscira.” Diana rolled her shoulders and took in a deep breath of the steam.

“You sounded like you were eighty. I’ve never heard someone’s shoulders crack so loudly. My masseuse thought your guy broke your back.” Ivy’s smile is charming as she settles onto the bench again.

“I am eighty,” she fired back. “Well, at _least_ eighty. And don’t even pretend like the entire room didn’t hear your neck crack when we got up.”

The redhead gives a light laugh. “Says the immortal Amazon warrior. I just assumed you would stay limber in your old age.”

The joking accusation strikes a cord within Diana, and yet… she’s so at ease with Ivy’s presence she confesses. “Demigod.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m a demigod, actually. A daughter of Zeus, if you can believe it.” Diana looks away, already knowing Ivy would probably be shocked.

“Really?” The woman is quiet for a moment. “No, you know what? That makes sense.”

“Does it?” Diana lifts her head a little.

“Magical lasso, gift of flight, incredible strength and endurance…” Ivy lists off her fingers. “I’ve known a few of your Rogues, and I’ve met the Amazonian ambassador before- _and_ seen her in action. She was strong, but you’re on a whole other level.”

She says it so matter of factly, as if it wasn’t the most devastating news Diana had ever received in her life. “I didn’t know until recently. All my life I had been told that I was sculped of clay by my mother on the beach of Themyscira. In reality, she had bedded Zeus while he was disguised as a mortal. It is by Hera’s grace that I live, and her curse that I am destined to take Aries’ thrown as the next god of War.”

Silence fills the space between them as Ivy finally seems to understand the weight that had been placed upon her shoulders. She moves close and places a hand on Diana’s knee.

“And yet what has this changed?”

Diana tilts her head as they lock eyes. “Sorry?”

“You’re still Wonder Woman. You have no knew powers I heard of, and you don’t _look_ any different. Your destiny has been changed; maybe your future isn’t what you thought it could be… but have _you_ changed?”

They stare at each other for a moment, and then Diana couldn’t help but smile. “No, I haven’t.”

“Well, then that’s that.” Ivy smiles as well, sitting back and retracting her hand. Diana can still feel her skin tingling from the contact.

“Are you sure you aren’t the eighty-year-old?” Diana teased, wanting to lighten the air between them again. “That’s some pretty sound wisdom.”

Ivy gives a soft laugh, but Diana had seen her laugh often enough now that she recognized it wasn’t genuine. It was too performed. Too perfect. “I’m not as young as everyone thinks, you know. I’ll be pushing forty soon.”

“Really?” Diana knows she’s redirecting, but she doesn’t press. “You don’t look a day over twenty-five.”

That… wasn’t the right thing to say. She sees Ivy’s eyes darken and her smile falter before she can turn away. “A blessing and a curse. I can still get free drinks at a bar, but my looks don’t exactly inspire respect.”

“How do you mean? Your game face is pretty terrifying.” Diana tries to bring that smile back. It only half works.

“If only it worked before I became _this_. People find it hard to listen to the pretty girl. Some of my superiors found it hard to listen to girls in general.” Ivy let out a heavy sigh, and it was Diana’s turn to place a hand on the woman’s knee. “Even afterwards only a select few people listened to me. It took a long time to get people to accept that I could hear the Green- that there even was a Green in the first place.”

“The world _is_ changing though.” Diana soothed. “I hear every day about young minds joining the workforce and trying to bring about real change.”

Ivy’s eyes are distant, even as she watches the hand gently squeeze her knee. “Sometimes I think it will take the deaths of the older generations for anything to progress, but I fear the earth won’t have that much time to wait.”

Diana doesn’t have a counter to that. Eventually, Ivy shakes off the dark clouds that have cast over her eyes and changes their conversation. The room still feels heavy, but eventually they are sent to a new room and they leave the weight of the future behind for now.

The rest of the spa experience is enjoyable, and when they leave Diana feels like she had been blessed with a brand-new body. It is too early for dinner, so they find a local park and simply walk around for a while.

It’s remarkable how much talking they’ve done these past few days, and yet Diana hadn’t become bored of any of their topics. Ivy was an incredibly intelligent woman who was more than willing to listen and learn about anything Diana offered to tell her about, and Diana was intrigued to hear about Ivy’s interests and the knowledge she held.

They spoke about the Green, Themyscira, the Justice and Injustice Leagues, and even about their friends and relationships.

“You and Superman seem like the perfect pair though!” Ivy couldn’t seem to fathom her break up with Clark, much to Diana’s amusement. “God, imagine your kid! A Kryptonian and a Demigod, what a nightmare!”

“Sometimes it just doesn’t work out.” Diana couldn’t hide her smile at the thought, which seemed so ridiculous now that Clark was married and Lois was pregnant with their child. “I’m not judging you for not being involved with Swampthing or Floronic Man.”

Ivy made a face. “Swamp Thing’s a mentor and father to me now, and Floronic man… let’s just say he leaves a lot to be desired. I would have been interested in meeting the King of Petals, but again he’s a no show. Depending on how he looked, I might have tried my luck with him.”

It was almost the natural follow up to ask, but Diana still hesitated, and it was enough for Ivy to catch on and misunderstand.

“I’m not a fan of judgment, Diana.” Ivy’s mood quickly turned defensive when she opened her mouth to speak.

“No, I haven’t the place to judge. Monogamous relationships are… _rare_ on Themyscira. I was judged immensely for my past partners when I first came here- many of which I shared with my other sisters at the same time.”

Ivy balked at that, then shook her head. “Right- Amazons are all ‘sister’ to you. Lord, I nearly asked if you were from Alabama or something.”

“I won’t judge your relationship with Harley or anyone else…” Diana began cautiously, pointedly ignoring the insinuation. “I just… wonder about it.”

“Wonder about me?”

“You claim to hate humanity, yet you let a select few into your heart. It’s… poetic, in a way.”

Ivy tilted her head, and then looked away. “I… I’ve found that I am more human than I like to admit. There’s a certain pleasure to be found within the arms of another. What about you, thought? You know far more about my love life than most of my friends, so it’s only fair.”

“Dating’s a little hard with the life I choose to live.” Diana admits. “I haven’t been with anyone in a _long_ time.”

The redhead doesn’t believe that for a moment, but after some light teasing, she makes a strange comment.

“Well, maybe you can rectify that soon.” She says with a knowing smile.

Diana swears her heart tripped over its own beat.

Ivy changes the conversation immediately after, not allowing Diana to chase that conversation even through out dinner and as they turn in early for the night. The green woman is quick to fall asleep, leaving Diana alone with her spiraling thoughts again.

_What in Hera’s name was **that** supposed to mean?_


	9. Chapter 9

To prepare for the concert that night, Ivy suggests they simply relax that day. They did wander around the city a little in the morning to find breakfast and entertain themselves, but after lunch they returned to the hotel and napped until dinner. They change into the clubbing outfits they bought they day prior and while neither are too hungry, Ivy insists they eat a little something before they head to the concert.

They find a small place and order appetizers only. As they pick at their food, Diana tries to weasel any information she can about the band they are about to see, but Ivy is a locked box. She only suggests getting ready for a possibly wild night.

Diana is excited, but she keeps thinking back on what Ivy had said the day before.

_“Maybe you can rectify that soon.”_

There was so much insinuation there… She enjoyed Ivy’s company and the woman had a body sculpted by Aphrodite herself, but she couldn’t help but feel it would be a betrayal to Harley if Ivy offered herself to her.

She remembered what she had with Steve. She remembered loving him so much that him even insinuating attraction to another woman churned her stomach. Obviously, Harley and Ivy didn’t have such a problem, as Harley had another boyfriend. Ivy _was_ attractive. Diana would be lying if she said she wasn’t interested in her- even despite the woman’s past.

But still…

By the time they reached the venue Diana was so far in her own head she almost didn’t get her hand stamped for the standing area.

“Hey, are you alright?” Ivy asked as they chose a place to stand near the back. They were early. The first band was still setting up. “You’ve been spacy all day.”

This was her chance to bring it up. This could clear the air.

But for some reason Diana couldn’t do it.

“Just getting antsy about this game.” Diana isn’t exactly lying. “It’s been three days. I’m getting worried.”

Ivy’s face falls immediately, and she almost looked guilty. “I feel the same, but it’s like you said; we’re under this person’s thumb. All we can do is keep ourselves busy until we receive another note.”

Diana nods, and then lets out a long sigh. “I’m just worried about how this is all going to turn out. This whole thing is more than likely the fault of someone that knows you, me, and Harley intimately, and I can’t think of any enemy we all share that fits the bill.”

Ivy is quiet a moment, and their attention turns away as the first band finally makes an appearance and begins to introduce themselves. “What if it isn’t an enemy?”

It was an idea Diana was toying with as well, but who would want to do this to them? Harley and Ivy’s friends weren’t always great people. Maybe one of them was toying with the couple? But why? And why was Diana involved in any of this if it was one of their friends?

They drop the conversation in favor of listening to the first band, but they… left a lot to be desired.

As the crowd grew, they end up bumping shoulders with many other people that also weren’t impressed by the first band. Some chatted back and forth with them for a moment- well, chatted with Diana as Ivy couldn’t understand Hungarian or most other European languages. She doesn’t seem offended by being left out though. She simply observes it all with a gentle smile.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright with the crowd?” Diana asks as the second band finally begins their set. They’re actually pretty good, and lots of the standees before them begin to bob along with the song, some even singing along.

“I know what I’m getting into, Diana.” Ivy reassures her, having to shout in her ear to be heard over the speakers. “I’ll let you know if it gets to be too much. _You_ are the one I’m worried about.”

“Oh, really?” Diana knows she’s teasing, so she smiles back.

Ivy takes her hand then and pulls her forwards towards the crowd just as a grungy rock song begins. Diana doesn’t really appreciate it, but she notices the change in the standees they are approaching. They’re jumping in sync with the beat, moving in a circle and shoving into each other.

It reminds Diana of home almost, as the people begin to really ram into each other. Its aggressive, but she can tell its all in good fun. Though she doesn’t enjoy the song, she dances outside of the ring of people alongside Ivy. When the song changes to something she better appreciates, she allows herself to be swept up into the chaos until she is body checked out of it.

She loses Ivy in the crowd for another song, but she eventually does find her again taking a breather in the back along with a group of gothic young women. When she catches her green eyes, and they are alight with humor. Diana throws an arm around Ivy’s shoulders and speaks directly into her ear.

“A mixed bag, I can’t wait to hear the headliners.”

“I’m glad you’re having fun.” Ivy shouts in return before reaching out to one of the other girls. “This is Julia. Her boyfriend’s throwing an afterparty once the show’s over. She’s invited us along.”

Diana hides her surprise and smiles at the young woman, and the group leaves together for drinks as the second band plays their last song. The girls are all in their mid-twenties and are obviously partiers.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Diana asks after one of the girls gives them the address of the house party.

“It will be fine. Let’s focus on the fun tonight, okay?” Ivy smiles. “Trust me.”

And so, Diana does.

They return to the crowd just as the headliner begins their first song, and instantly Diana is taken. The music is fast paced and thumping. She feels her heart try and keep up with the beat, and the crowd all jumping and throwing themselves about. It’s apparently a song that Ivy knows, because as they rejoin the crowd and fall into the chaotic energy, she sings along.

Diana strains her ears to hear her singing voice, but it is no use. She can only hear the thumping drums and guitar riffs and the chanting of the crowd.

This side of Ivy was fascinating. It wasn’t the quiet, wholehearted joy she saw the woman experience while they were out in nature. No, this was a physical joy, one that had her smiling fully, her white teeth glistening under the strobe lights. She was dancing and singing, completely taken by the atmosphere of the concert venue. She was a completely different person. One that didn’t have snappy comebacks or moods that turned on a dime. She looked like she was having so much unbridled fun…

She looked beautiful.

Diana enjoys the second song even more than the first, and evidently so does the entire crowd. She manages to catch onto the chorus by the third and final verse and sings along with Ivy. They dance together, and then apart when Diana allows herself to be thrown into the chaos again. When she returns to Ivy they howl encouragement to the headliners as they begin a new song.

They sing to each other whenever Diana manages to make out the lyrics, they hold out their phones with their flashlights on as a slow song begins, and they take a breather together when Ivy begins shaking from the excitement of it all.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Diana asks as they rest in the women’s bathroom.

“Yes, I just got caught up in the moment.”

“We don’t have to go to that house party.”

“It will be fun, Diana.” Ivy goads. “We might even find you a quick lay while we’re there.”

_Oh._

“Ivy, I don’t want to have sex tonight.” Diana says seriously. “I’d just like to enjoy the night with you.”

Ivy is surprised by her bluntness, but at least she has stopped shaking. “Alrighty then, but I’d still like to go. Julia said it’s going to be full of alcohol, and I’m more than a little interested in seeing how you take your drinks.”

“Then we can go to a bar or a club.” Diana pleads. “Not to some stranger’s house.”

They lock eyes for a moment. She feels spring green eyes searching her own, and Ivy finally relents. “To a club then.”

Diana is grateful, and they leave the bathroom arm in arm, moving to the complete other side of the standing crowd to avoid Julia and her friends. When the band sings their last song, they quickly make their escape into the night and find a nearby club. As they take their first drinks, Diana can’t help but ask.

“Why were you so eager to go with those girls? You didn’t even know them.”

Ivy makes a face after they knock back their first drinks. “Your gaydar needs work. The pretty little blonde Julia was with was eyeing you since we walked in.”

Diana doesn’t remember a blonde. “You’re kidding.”

“Not in the slightest. Poor thing’s probably going to be traumatized after tonight. She tried to talk to you three different times.” She teased as they took another shot. “Now, come on, let’s get into some trouble.”

Diana feels terrible about the girl, though she can’t even remember seeing any blondes at the concert at all. The guilt washes away as they sink into the new genre of music and dance with the small crowd that is forming in once corner of the club. They dance together, and then with strangers, and then together with strangers. They dance until Diana is sure her feet will fall off in her heels, but she is always revitalized when she bumps arms with Ivy.

They break after a while, and Ivy orders a water while Diana gets something sweet. “What, so you want to see me drunk but won’t do me the same courtesy?”

“I can’t get drunk- at least, not naturally. All alcohol does is dehydrate me.” Ivy admits with a blush.

Diana blinks at her, and then laughs. “You know what? Touché. It will take me six years to get drunk off something so weak.”

Ivy balks at that. “You know there’s vodka in that, right?”

“Vodka’s nothing to Amazonian wine.” Ivy shakes her head and joins her in her laughter. Diana is curious though, so she continues. “So, how can you get unnaturally drunk?”

“I can mimic the effects of alcohol in my body. It’s a conscious process, which is nice.”

“Truly? So, you can get drunk whenever you’d like?”

“Without the dehydration.” Ivy tips her drink before taking a sip. “I can even pass on the effects to someone else.”

“Through a kiss?” Diana guesses.

“Yep!” Her grin is catlike, as if she is daring Diana to say or do something. Diana takes up that challenge readily.

“So, you can truly get someone drunk off your kisses.” Diana feels high off the energy from the concert and club, and it gives her a dangerous amount of courage. She approaches Ivy readily. “I think I’d like to try, so long as you get drunk with me- _and_ you’re up for it.”

“Up for it? I’ve been hoping to see the great Wonder Woman drunk all night.” Ivy rises from her seat to meet her.

…

Diana doesn’t remember the kiss.

Hell, she doesn’t remember much after that.

She just remembers waking up on the patio of a house somewhere, flat on her back, with all her limbs spread out. She feels someone pressed up against her side, and when she remembers how to turn her head she finds Ivy using her bicep as a pillow.

Diana can’t remember the last time she had a hangover, but then again all she could do at the moment was stay as still as possible and try to decide if she was going to throw up or not. She feels genuinely exhausted and wonders what time it is. The sky was just beginning to lighten, revealing the twenty or so other bodies sleeping soundly on the floor inside the open house and across the lawn.

When the world stops spinning, Diana tries to take back her arm, but Ivy lets out a groan and hugs her bicep tightly. Diana is too tired and too sick to dwell on that, but everything snaps into sharp focus as she notices police officers talking to some of the groggily awake people on the edge of the lawn near the street.

“Ivy, we’ve gotta go.” Diana prods the redhead.

“Sleep now…” Ivy murmurs.

“I’d rather not get arrested.”

That got Ivy’s attention. She’s up like a shot, and they both crawl off the patio and escape behind the house before they are noticed by the police.

When they are out of sight, Diana picks Ivy up and takes off into the sky.

After a quick pit stop to throw up in a trash can, they eventually find their way back to Budapest and their hotel. Without even looking, they both collapse onto the bed.

“Ow.” Ivy grumbles, shuffling as Diana fights to not be sick again. “Aw, fuck. It’s the hint.”

_Of course. Of **fucking** course._

“What’s it say?” Diana manages to ask through her pillow.

“I’ll tell you when I can see straight again.” She feels Ivy flop down on the bed again, and Diana doesn’t even mind.

Harley’s waited this long, and they’ve already gotten reprimanded for playing the game too fast once. She could wait at least a couple hours longer.


	10. Chapter 10

_Slithery little water snake, where’s your icy cave?_

It took Pamela two hours after waking up a second time to remember a place in Serbia that fit the bill. The Uvac canyon had a windy river and a famous ice cave in its borders.

It takes them a while to gather their new collection of clothes and drag themselves out of bed to check out and return to the invisible jet. Pamela makes sure they stop for food before they get on their way, forcing Diana to down at least two full glasses of water and pick up a couple gallon jugs before they made for Serbia.

Diana looks a wreck from the night, but she doesn’t appear unhappy. Pamela is glad she had fun; she was just sorry it got out of hand so fast.

Pamela hadn’t explained how the kiss would go, so when the amazon kissed her lightly, she pulled her back in for a second dose. Unfortunately, she had greatly overestimated Diana’s tolerance and the poor woman ended up skipping tipsy and going straight to punch drunk. Pamela already was feeling the effects of the chemical changes in her body, and due to overcompensating for Diana she also got far too loose far too fast.

She remembered bits and pieces of the night.

She remembered dancing close to Diana, hands grabbing hips and sides and arms. She remembered barking at someone who got too close to the Amazonian, and then kissing her again. Though she can’t remember who initiated it, she remembers Diana deep throating her with her tongue, sloppy now that she was so drunk, and only getting drunker from the kiss.

She remembers getting thrown off the dance floor after snaking a hand under Diana’s top, getting friendly with a couple of people at the party and getting invited to come along with a group to go bar hopping. She remembers pulling Diana along after, and… doesn’t remember anything else after that.

Pamela had asked Diana what she remembered from the night before, and the poor woman claimed to remember nothing. She felt guilty for letting them both go so wild. She was just trying to loosen Diana up after their encounter with Cheetah.

It worked in the moment, but only time would tell if it worked in the long term.

They find the canyon easy enough and land within sight of the winding river.

“Where do you think the next clue will be?” Diana asks, her voice lower than usual.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to whip up something for your hangover?” Pamela ignores her entirely, and Diana lets out a heavy sigh.

“I’m fine paying my dues.” Diana says despite rubbing her temples with her fingertips. “Where might the next clue be?”

“I don’t know. There really isn’t any specific landmark I’m interested in here, just the few red list plants in the area.”

“Can you connect to the Green here?”

“I can connect to the Green almost anywhere.”

They disembark the jet and Pamela kneels, placing her hands flat on the ground. She connects to the plant life in the canyon, reaching out and showing them what she desired.

And in return, they show her the robot men entering a cavern along the river, just a few miles away from them.

They also show…

“Diana!” Pamela jumps up and commands the trees near them to build a wall with their branches just as bullets light up the area.

Despite her warning, the Amazon is hit several times before she can start deflecting them with her bracelets. “Rubber again?! Keep your head down, they can still kill if they hit the right place!”

Still connected to the green, she quickly seeks out where their attackers are located and commands whatever foliage is near them to attack. The bullets stop and she feels metal crunch under the vines in her command.

She also feels more on their way.

“More are coming.” Pamela warns, weaving bark around her chest and torso to protect herself from any stray bullets. “We’re completely surrounded, we need to get out of here!”

Diana grabs her arm and turns back to the jet, but three of the robotic gunmen leap out from the bush between them and protection. Pamela hears the Amazon swear under her breath as she pulls up a wall of roots to block the robots off, also cutting off their access to the jet. She sprouts two great trees under the jet and grows them tall and strong, keeping their escape route safe even though it was still invisible.

“We’ll lose them in the brush,” She pulls back the dark-haired woman and towards the one area where there are no pursuers. “If I can get a moment to concentrate, I can end this like last time.”

“Then let’s find some place to hunker down.” Diana relents with a scowl, and Pamela can barely believe she’s rearing for a fight after the night they had.

The plan is simple enough, but of course the game must be difficult today of all days. She hadn’t bothered to count the robots she had destroyed in the forest in Poland, but if she was forced to guess she’d assume there was somewhere between ten and twenty of them.

This time she _did_ count them, and she was already on thirty with more coming on the edge of her senses. They were getting pelted with those rubber bullets. Bleeding welts covered their arms and legs, and Diana had taken to defending their heads over their bodies out of pure necessity. The robots were pushing them towards the river, and of course they were on the side with a near fifty-foot drop to the beach below.

There were just too many of them.

Pamela did what she could to protect them both with vines and branches and her man-eating flower heads, but each bullet that hit her plants also made them scream in pain, and she could feel the echo of that pain in her very bones.

She tried to throw out her powers, to just lash out at anything nearing them. It worked for all of three seconds as a second battalion of robots swarmed them.

The welts hurt, her head felt like it was about to explode, and her body was just so tired from the night before. Pamela was almost tempted to give up and see what the robots wanted from them. Diana, on the other hand, was a woman possessed.

She pushed Pamela forwards while also defending their backs as best she could from the hailstorm of rubber bullets. Her face seemed to be made of steel, and even when she knew a bullet found its mark on her exposed arms or back she barely even flinched.

It hurt Pamela more than she could say to be so useless to the Amazon.

They eventually found the edge of the cliff they where on that looked down into the river. The bullets stopped for a moment, and Pamela used that time to catch her breath and pull at the plants between them and the robots.

She and Diana traded a glance, and when the moment continued to stretch on, the dark-haired woman called out. “What are you? Why are you trying to stop us?”

The robot men didn’t make a sound. Pamela was fine with that. She flexed her fist, but then one of the robots raised a different kind of gun and fired it at them.

Vines erupted from the ground, but the blast had already exploded into a massive black net. The world moves in slow motion as several things happen at once.

Diana leaps before Pamela, bracing for the net, and the vines easily rip through the disguised metal like paper. Unfortunately, just as the net engulfs Diana, the cliff they are standing upon collapse from the disturbance the vines caused to the ground.

Diana’s arms are pinned to her side and goes face first into the dirt while Pamela plummets into the river below. She can hear the Amazon shout her name before she hits the water. _Hard_. Everything stings, but the icy water is already soothing the welts decorating her back, upper arms, and her legs.

Pamela works her eyes open after a moment and already sees a familiar shadow diving for her, and it is then that she has an idea.

Working her sore limbs, she forces her body deeper down just as Diana follows her into the water. The woman is wild eyed with worry and reaches for her, but Pamela grabs her arms and places a finger to her lips before pointing upwards, and then tugging her downwards again.

It takes only a moment for her to catch the hint and help her swim even further under the surface. A few stray bullets follow them downwards, but they are carried down river by the currents and have a wall of water between them and any danger.

When Pamela feels she needs a breath, she pauses and turns to Diana, hoping she’d be just as quick to catch on as the last time.

Taking up the Amazon’s cheeks, she surges forwards before Diana can pull back and places an awkward, open mouthed kiss upon the woman’s lips. She works her thumbs at the hinges of her jaw, and eventually she gets it and opens her mouth.

Pamela breathes out what feels like her entire lungs into Diana, and the woman grabs her shoulders in surprise. A long time ago, Pamela was forced to accept she had become more plant than woman, but it did have its benefits. The Carbon Dioxide in Diana’s breath feels like the freshest of spring breezes when it flows into her mouth. She is tempted to stay there for a moment and take another breath but knows getting them both to safety should be her top priority.

When they separate, Diana reaches up and touches her lips carefully. Pamela can only smile and pull on her arm again. They were closing in on the ice cave already due to the speed of the water, but it still took two more breath breaks to make it safely under the cave’s mouth.

They break the surface of the water simultaneously, gasping for fresh air. While she wouldn’t say swapping breaths with Diana was the worst thing in the world, Pamela did prefer to breathe in air that was cold and dry, not hot and wet.

Diana helps her out of the water and they take a moment to gather themselves.

“Are- are you alright?” Diana puffed.

“Never better.” Pamela hissed through her teeth as she accidentally knelt on a quickly bruising welt. “I’m gonna murder this mother fucker.”

“I just might let you.” Diana wrung out her hair before flipping it back over her shoulder. “How’d you do the breathing thing? That’s some neat trick.”

“I’m more plant when it comes to my respiratory system. I inhale CO2 and breathe out Oxygen.” She explained before standing.

Diana stood as well. “We should hurry, but this is called an ‘Ice cave’ for a reason. They get colder the further down you go.”

“We could take a second to dry off?” Pamela offered, but then paused. “Those things might follow us though…”

The Amazon touched her lasso and it began to glow, illuminating the cave around them. “I’ve got an idea.”

Diana left her lasso with Pamela before she set to work gathering up several boulders and forming a little cave just out of view of the actual cave entrance. It was small, but good enough. Pamela handed back the lasso and climbed in while Diana sealed it behind them and made the golden rope stop glowing.

The little cave was tight, and already Pamela felt far too cold for her liking, so they huddled together and rested in silence while they waited for their skin and hair to dry a little more.

It wasn’t long before they heard the tapping of many footsteps enter the cave. Pamela clenched her jaw so hard it hurt, and she felt Diana wind an arm around her torso and give her a light squeeze. In return, she leaned her head against the Amazon as they listened to the footsteps disappear into the cavern.

It took only twenty minutes for the feet to return and scuttle out of the cave again. They waited a little while longer after that, and then Diana let her go to push open the rock guarding their little hideout.

“Hopefully that will throw them off our scent for a while.” Pamela said as Diana helped her out of the little cave.

With no tour guide and no maps, they use Diana’s lasso like string in a maze as they followed the main tunnels down deep into the mountain side. Diana insisted they hold hands, and Pamela has to fight hard to not notice how firm and yet careful her grip is.

The note is found literally taped to some random rock in the center of the pathway. Pamela would have been annoyed by the audacity had she not been so glad their search was finally over. Now they just had to get back to the Jet and get the hell out of here.

But of course, today wasn’t going to be an easy day.

She heard the shot, and then felt it whiz past her shoulder. Diana is quick to grab her and spin them both so Pamela is pinned between her and the wall as more of those damned bullets rain down upon their heads.

Pamela reaches her hands past Diana and allows her anger to consume her for a moment. They are no longer surrounded, so it was like shooting ducks in a row, but rather than bullets the wood she had wrapped her torso with crept up her arms and shot out thorny harpoons that slashed through the metal with ease.

She kept it up until all they could hear in the cave was static from the robots electrical parts. Diana dropped her arms for a moment and leaned back against Pamela, and in return she wrapped her arms around the poor woman’s torso.

“Thank you,” She unthinkingly kissed Diana’s shoulder. “I can whip up a healing salve when we get back to the jet.”

Diana let out a small hum before reaching back to push herself off the wall. Pamela offers her arm, but they are both spattered with painful bruises and end up being poor crutches for each other. They make it past the carnage of the robots slowly and begin working their way back up the tunnel using Diana’s rope.

But of course, today wasn’t going to be an easy day.

Pamela heard the sound of metal grinding and something robotic moving. She glanced back and just caught sight of one of the robot men raising its still functioning arm and pointing it at her.

The shot was fired, and Pamela wasn’t fast enough at warning Diana, but she is able to shove her away in time.

She doesn’t feel it hit her; the entire world just vanishes.


	11. Chapter 11

When Pamela awakens, the world around her had changed drastically.

They were no longer in the cave, and they were completely surrounded by the corpses of at least thirty other robot men. Diana was on her knees beside her, head bowed and a single tear falling quietly down her cheek as she was seemingly praying under her breath.

“Ow…” Pamela’s voice is a rough croak, but it might as well have been as loud as a gunshot by how far Diana jumped away from her when she heard it.

She’s over the shock quickly and helps Pamela sit up. “What… how…”

It’s easy to guess what happened, but Pamela is nowhere near ready to talk about it. “Never mind me, do you still have the note?”

Diana blinks dumbly at her but pulls it from her breastplate. Pamela takes it from her and reads the note aloud.

_Founded by the dad of Great A, let’s go see a play!_

“I think this is one of yours.” She says while struggling to stand. Diana is quick to help her, grabbing her arm and pulling her up, but apparently Pamela wasn’t going to get away with what happened.

“You were dead.”

She hides her wince and tries to act surprised. “Pardon?”

“You were _dead_. You were hit in the head, you stopped breathing, your heart _stopped_.” Diana’s eyes are wide and confused, and she still held her arm tightly.

“Well, I’m not dead anymore.” She can’t look at her reaction. “Let’s hurry back to the jet and get out of here before more of these stupid things show up.”

Pamela feels sick as she walks away, pulling herself from Diana’s grip.

The canyon is eerily quiet as they make their way back, only stopping a few times so Pamela can gather a few plants to make a salve for their welts. She only remembers to ask Diana about their next location once they are climbing into the invisible jet.

“Northern Macedonia, specifically the Roman Amphitheater in Heraclea. It’s one of my favorite places to visit.” By that point, Diana seemed to just accept that the incident was not going to be a talking point any time soon.

Pamela was sure this reprieve wouldn’t last long, but she was still grateful for it. It was hard to ignore how dejected Diana sounded though.

As they take off, Pamela focuses on the herbs she gathered and encourages them to give her what she needs. She tears them up after coaxing them to create a surplus of the healing compounds in their leaves before placing them in one of the gallon jugs of water they had brought with. The salve doesn’t thicken like she wants it too, but for what they need it is good enough.

She cuts up her ruined shirt and wets the scraps before taking them to Diana. “Here, these will help with the pain.”

“No thank you. I heal fast.” Diana rejects them politely, but Pamela hasn’t the patience for her bravo.

“So do I, but it doesn’t mean my welts hurt any less right now.” She takes up one of Diana’s arms before the woman can protest again, and as she tries to wrench her arm back Pamela slaps one of the rags onto her shoulder, covering several of the painful looking bruises.

Diana flinches, but as the salve works its magic she lets out a small sigh. “That does feel good.”

“It’s the numbing agent.” Pamela smiles as she applies another rag to Diana’s other shoulder. “There’s plenty more where this came from, so use as much as you need.”

The Amazon doesn’t say anything as Pamela moves her hair to the side and puts the last rag over the back of her neck, but she can still feel the question brewing in the woman’s mind.

“I had never really cared to go into medicine, but I ended up learning a thing or two after several years sparing with Batman and his flock of robins.”

“You’re good at it.” Diana comments. “I’m already feeling better, and the salve doesn’t have a harsh smell. I know many people that avoid creams and ointments due to their sense of smell. Why not pursue that instead of cleaning products?”

“I find medicine, especially in the US, to be far too politically regulated. Certain medicines or plant materials have stigmas attached to them, and due to this they are practically blacklisted from the medical market, no matter how well they work.”

Diana contemplates that for a moment. “It would still do the world a whole lot of good, to have someone with your skills and knowledge working in the medical field.”

“Bettering humanity has never been high on my to-do list, Diana.” She chides, removing the slightly bloodied rags so the Amazon’s arms aren’t completely numbed. “Are there any other areas that got hit badly? Like where your armor is thinner?”

Diana swivels her seat and reveals her poor upper thighs, which had no armor at all. They were covered in angry welts, and without a second thought Pamela bends down and begins covering the worst with the clean side of the rags.

She can hear Diana swallow harshly. “What of your wounds? You weren’t wearing armor at all. You must be covered in them.”

“You have me there,” Pamela gives her a reassuring smile. “I’ll tend to myself once you’re done.”

“You can tend to yourself now.” Diana took the remaining rags from her hands. “I’ll finish up here.”

“But the numbing…”

“I’ll only use them for a short time and rinse my hands after. Now go. I know they’re more painful than you’re putting on.”

There was no arguing there; the welts hurt like a bitch. So, Pamela simply shook her head and retreated to the back of the Jet. It took a while to cover all the welts, but the relief she felt from the loss of pain was well worth the effort. She chanced a glance in the little hand mirror she had brought with just and was forced to accept the fact that she was going to get a lot of stares for the next day or so.

When she returned to the cockpit, Diana had neatly folded the rags and placed them next to her seat.

“Feeling better?” She asked.

“Much.” Pamela responded, picking up the rags and tossing them into the back with the rest of their things. “How long till we reach Heraclea?”

“A few more hours. We’ll be arriving late, so I was thinking we might just get there and turn in for the night?” Diana suggested. “While the break was… nice, I’d rather not have this person put the game on hold again.”

“Agreed. It seems like this will be a single night thing so we might as well just stay in the Jet.” She let out a small sigh. “It was nice to sleep in a real bed while it lasted.”

Throughout the rest of the flight, they occasionally chatted back and forth about frivolous things. Diana explained that she loved plays and theater as a child on Themyscira and often visited the Amphitheatre in Heraclea to reminisce.

“It’s most like the one back on Themyscira.” She had said. “My sisters and I would put on plays or sing for each other all the time after jousting matches and tournaments.”

“Sounds fun.” Pamela smiled at the wistfulness in her voice.

This game was troublesome to say the least, but it at least had its upsides.

Upon arrival, Pamela applied the salve to herself and Diana one last time before they turned in for the night. They awoke later than either had planned to and blamed it on the previous day’s excitement while sharing what little rations were left in the Jet.

There was a crowd of tourists all around the theatre when they arrived, so the two stuck close to each other as they searched the site for the next hint. They had changed into civilian clothes again in order to not cause a stir, but that also meant getting elbowed and shoved by strangers again.

“How is it that you dislike crowds but can dance with strangers in clubs and concerts?” Diana asks, teasing her lightly.

“The difference is expectation. I know what I’m getting into at a club or a concert. Crowds, on the other hand, are filled with wildcards.” Pamela grumbles as she’s body checked by a careless teenager. Diana is quick to support her and throw the boy a look that freezes him to the spot. He apologizes in another language before scurrying off into the crowd again. “And you said _my_ game face was terrifying.”

Diana gave a short laugh as they worked their way through the people and made it to the theater.

“Where do you think the hint might be?” She asked.

“I’m not sure. Hopefully it’s out in the open like the last few times.” Diana said as she looked about. They had made It to the very front of the theater now, and had been pushed near the wall by a tour group. “I’ll go check the grounds while you check the seating. We’ll meet back here in twenty?”

“Sounds like a plan.” Pamela nodded and they split up.

Checking the stands was simple. She just walked up a few rows and would cross the entirety of the theater before climbing a few more and going back to the other side. She made it to the top without finding anything, so she headed back down, keeping her eyes open for anything she might have missed.

Once she was back on the first row of seats, just above the spot where Diana said to meet, Pamela saw a little slip of neatly folded paper just waiting for her on the ledge. Rolling her eyes, she took up the slip and unfolded it, reading it through.

_Patron Athena, we build this temple for you~_

Pamela knew it was a clue for Diana again, but even she could take a wild guess at the next location.

“Did you find anything?” Diana’s voice startled her, calling from the stage below.

“Yeah,” Pamela leaned over the stone ledge and showed her the note. “We’ll be heading to Greece next, the Parthenon, I think.”

Diana nods, and then there’s a twinkle in her eye that Pamela has never seen before.

The woman takes three big steps back, which is easy to do now the tour groups have moved away from the center of the theater and takes a bow.

“Oh god…” Pamela quickly realizes what she’s doing as Diana takes a great breath, gestures towards her and begins to bellow,

“Aphrodite, subtle of soul and deathless,

Daughter of God, weaver of wiles, I pray thee

Neither with care, dread Mistress, nor with anguish,

Slay thou my spirit!

But in pity hasten, come now if ever

From afar of old when my voice implored thee,

thou hast deigned to listen, leaving the golden

house of thy father

With thy chariot yoked; and with doves that drew thee,

Fair and fleet around the dark earth from heaven,

Dipping vibrant wings down the azure distance,

Through the mid-ether;

Very swift they came; and thou, gracious Vision

Leaned with face that smiled in immortal beauty

Leaned to me and asked, ‘what misfortune threatened?

Why I had called thee?’

‘What my frenzied heart craved in utter yearning,

Whom its wild desire would persuade to passion?

What disdainful charms, madly worshipped, slight thee?

Who wrongs thee, Sappho?’

‘She that fain would fly, she shall quickly follow,

She that now rejects, yet with gifts shall woo thee,

She that needs the not, soon shall love to madness,

Love thee, the loth one!’

Come to see me now thus, Goddess, and release me

From distress and pain; and all my distracted

Heart would seek, du thou, once again fulfilling

Still be my ally!”

Pamela doesn’t pretend to know what the poem means, but Diana throws herself into the performance with grand gestures and tone changes. She catches the attention of many others, who stop to watch her one-woman performance, and once she is done, they all clap for her.

Pamela can’t help but laugh and discreetly grows a rose from the ground, plucks it, and tosses it down to the Amazon, who is quick to grab it and bow deeply.

They meet at the edge of the theater steps and Pamela is quick to tease. “What on earth was that?”

“One of my favorite poems,” Diana explains while fitting the rose behind her ear. “By my favorite poet, Sappho. Her works are lyrical, though I haven’t the voice to do them justice.”

“Well, I think your voice was just fine.” Pamela smiles as they lock arms and leave the theater.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yall were so nice in the comments last chapter here's the next one early!

Diana wasn’t sure if Ivy had understood the meaning of Poem, but she was just content in having made the woman smile. She enjoyed making Ivy happy more than she cared to admit out loud, but even as they continued to enjoy the rest of the day around Heraclea, reality flickered at the edge of her mind.

She cared for Ivy. She found her attractive, intelligent, and interesting. Her moods were growing easier to read so long as she paid attention, and the more they spoke, the more she understood that Ivy was a woman of passion and drive. There wasn’t much that she didn’t throw herself wholeheartedly into, and Diana respected her for that.

She also could sense that there was much that Ivy wasn’t willing to share with her. A darkness that made her curl up into a tight ball at night and fear the unpredictability of crowds on the street. And there was the fact that the woman _died_ barely a full day ago and woke up barely an hour later as if nothing had happened. She didn’t want to push Ivy into explaining any of it though, sensing that darkness was painful and the death topic unwelcomed and uncomfortable for her.

But even with all she felt for the red-haired woman, and all that she wanted to know, she knew nothing could work between them. Diana was Wonder Woman, member and Co-chair of the Justice League, representative of Themyscira, daughter to Zeus, and Ivy was… well, _Poison Ivy_. Villainess, eco-terrorist, misanthropic man hater who had admittedly hadn’t done any criminal activities in recent years, but still held a terrifying reputation.

Diana wondered what her League friends would think of this excursion. It was no secret that Ivy would do anything for Harley Quinn, so they probably would doubt Ivy’s sincerity towards Diana during the past few days. They wouldn’t believe how tender and understanding she was when Diana confessed her lineage to her, or playful and kind while out in nature or enjoying a concert or club.

Hell, Diana herself wouldn’t have believed it had she not lived through it, and now that she had a taste of the feelings Ivy had brought up in her, she didn’t want to let go.

Not wanting the game to be put on hold again, the two took the rest of the day to enjoy the tourist locations in Heraclea before stopping for dinner in a small restaurant. They talked about nothing and everything that night, and Diana wondered how much longer she’d have to enjoy spending time with the green woman’s company.

She hoped she’d have at least a few more days with her, at least. They slept in the Jet again, a little closer to each other than last time, and made for the Pantheon early the next morning.

“So, how long will this journey take?” Ivy asked, leaning over Diana’s seat and glancing at the computer before her.

“Not long at all. We should be there in a little over an hour.” Diana gazed up at the redhead, smiling almost despite herself.

“So, what say we find ourselves a rest stop along the way and clean up a bit? The welts are healed, but we’re still a mess from the other day.”

“Sounds delightful.” Diana agreed. “Can you look up a place in Athens for us to visit? Maybe even a hotel to spend the night in?”

“I’ll get right on it.” Ivy’s hand trailed off the back of her seat as she disappeared into the back of the cockpit to retrieve her phone, and Diana felt oddly content with it all.

Visiting places she adored with someone she had grown close to… it was almost nauseatingly romantic if one forgot the true purpose of their journey.

Ivy found a small hotel not far off from the Parthenon, and they left the Jet in one of Ivy’s trees just outside of town. They brought two small bags of things and clothes for the day, checked in, and took turns showering. As she waited on Ivy to finish, Diana tried to ignore her disappointment that they had gotten a room with two beds instead of one.

“So, where do you think the hint will be in the Parthenon?” Ivy asked as she came out of the bathroom, still drying her hair.

“I’m not quite sure. But we can freely tour the grounds, it shouldn’t take us too long to find it.” Diana stood with a stretch. “Come, we’re losing daylight.”

“Oh _no_ , what ever shall we do without daylight?” Ivy scoffed, tossing her hair back and grabbing her phone from the bag.

Diana rolled her eyes as they left the room together.

They took a bus to the historical site and walked up the stone steps to the ruined temple. There were other tourists about, but not too many as it was the height of the day.

“I can check the perimeter of the temple, and you can check the inside?” Ivy offered, and Diana accepted.

It took a while for them to meet up again, but when she saw Ivy speaking with a small group, she guessed she hadn’t found anything either.

Ivy turned to her as she approached. “No luck? Well, these people were kind enough to keep me company while I waited for you.”

“That was kind of them.” Diana regarded the young adults that had gathered around her, who give her small greetings and nods in return.

“There’s an art market not too far from here if you two would like to join us.” An American man offered.

Diana took Ivy by the arm and tugged her away. “One moment, please.”

“Is something wrong?” Ivy asked once they were out of earshot.

“For a misanthrope, you are good at drawing a crowd.” Diana commented. “We need to find the hint.”

“First off, it’s not like I _intend_ to catch people’s attention. Second, the hint obviously isn’t here. You remember the market in Germany? Someone was waiting on us when we couldn’t find the hint. Or even in the theater, the note was left for us after we searched. But there’s _nothing_ here. I circled the damn ruins twice before giving up.”

Diana thought for a moment. “You want to wait a while and come back later.”

“We’ve already gotten reprimanded for going too fast once. Maybe this game’s running a little slow?” Ivy shrugged. “We might as well entertain ourselves for a while. Maybe come back tonight? The guy in the green tanktop over there said they light up the inside of the Parthenon at night. Won’t that be a pretty sight?”

There isn’t really any other option than to relent, so with a sigh, Diana nods and Ivy pulls her back towards the group. They accept the invitation and follow the tourists to the bus stop. On the drive, Diana takes over most of the talking with the tourists as Ivy dozes against her arm in the window seat under the sun. It’s been a few days since she’s seen the woman sunbathe. At first, she assumed it was something Ivy just liked doing, but after learning about her respiratory system, Diana wondered if the sunbathing served more purposes than one.

When they got off the buss at the market, Ivy snuck them away from the group they came with. Diana felt a little bad for abandoning them, they seemed to be kind people, but she didn’t mind the idea of more one on one time with the redhead.

Diana knew Ivy wasn’t really one for art, but she did show interest in the jewelry and items that had actual function.

“So, as a princess of Themyscira, this must seem pretty disappointing.” Ivy goaded as they looked over some replica ancient bracelets.

“Not disappointing, just different.” Diana smiled. “Also, I wasn’t ever one to collect jewelry on the island. I preferred weaponry.”

“Like those spears over there?” She followed Ivy’s gesture to a stall selling replicas of ancient armor and swords.

“Precisely.” Diana didn’t even try to hide her interest, and she heard Ivy laugh behind her as she made a b-line for them.

She spoke with the stall owner for a while in Greek over the authenticity of his models while Ivy wandered over to the next stall. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Ivy do a double take on something, and then lean over the table to inspect it further.

The stall owner noticed her interest in what Ivy was doing and whispered to her “[That is my wife’s stall. If you purchase something from both of us, you shall get a discount!]”

She noticed the stall owner try and speak to Ivy, but the woman politely declined further inspection and moved on. Diana turned back to the man and smile. “[Sounds like a good deal.]”

She purchased a small replica of a handheld knife and had the seller get his wife to discreetly package the piece Ivy had taken interest in. Diana was a little surprised to find the piece was a pretty golden necklace that had three charms hanging from it. A feather, a coin with Athena’s profile, and a shield with a pretty blue stone at its center. It wasn’t something she thought the woman would like, but she stowed it away in its little package and hurried after Ivy.

“Found something you liked?” Ivy teased her for the knife replica.

“Yes, actually,” Diana showed it off gladly, twirling it in her hand with expert ease.

“Okay, okay, showoff.” Ivy rolled her eyes. “We’ve got a few more stalls. Do you want to keep looking around, head back to the Parthenon?”

“It’s only been an hour or two, we should keep looking a little while longer.” She said while pulling the pack with the necklace from her pocket, but Ivy was already turning away.

“Alright, well, there’s a few food stands not too far from here. Maybe we could stop for some lunch? Or would it be early dinner now? Anyways, something smells great and I’m hungry.”

Deciding it would be best to wait a while, Diana stowed the necklace away for later. They found a small stall that sold some good smelling food and found a nearby park to eat at. They sat side by side, picking off each other’s plates as they ate and chatted back and forth about the things they saw.

“I guess most of the references the stall owners used were from Ancient Greece, the 12th to 9th century. Themyscira is far older than that.” Diana explained. “I would be surprised to more than a handful of objects that were based off my homeland.”

“They sure do like Athena, though.” Ivy commented, stealing a courgetti ball from Diana’s plate, and in return Diana took one of her Dolmadakia. “I know the Parthenon’s not thirty minutes away from this place, but still.”

“I’m sure Athena’s likeness brings the sellers quite a profit from tourists.”

“I’m sure they do.” Ivy is quiet for a moment. “Care to tell me why olives were a popular piece in Athens? They were all over the art pieces back there.”

“The Olive tree is sacred to Athena.” Diana knew this story by heart. “Long ago, a king desired to appoint a patron deity to his new city and two gods answered his call. Both Poseidon and Athena wished to lay claim to the new city, and in order to choose a contest was held. Whomever could bestow the more useful gift to the people of the city would be declared Patron and the city will be named in their honor.

“Poseidon gave is gift first, a beautiful spring of salt water, and then Athena planted one of her moria- or olive, trees. While Poseidon’s spring was pretty, the salt water was not useful to them in any way, but Athena’s olive tree could provide an abundance of goods and serve many purposes. Athena was hailed winner of the competition and Athens was named in her honor.”

“First time I’ve heard of someone being so thankful for a tree.” Ivy commented. “And now I see why Athena is so popular here.”

“Back then, moria trees were more valuable than gold.” Seeing an opportunity, Diana quickly took the packet from her pocket. “Speaking of gold, I saw you eying this earlier.”

Ivy tilted her head at the little package and then seemed surprised as the necklace slid out of it. “Oh, Diana…”

“Save your comments,” She shushed the redhead quickly. “The seller was the wife of the weapons smith. It was a paired deal, and I will not take it back.”

“I couldn’t,” Ivy tried to refuse, but Diana wouldn’t allow it.

“You shall take it and wear it with pride.” Diana declared, unhooking the chain and offering to put it on her. “Think of it as a gift, for being such a delight on this mission.”

Ivy let out a short laugh but moved her hair to the side and allowed her to string the chain around her neck. “I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not.”

“And only Athena shall ever know for certain.”

“Well, now I must find something for you.” She took the charms in her hand and held them up so she could look at them better.

“No, you don’t-”

“It shall be something to remember me by,” Ivy cut her off immediately. “There’s only two more countries left to visit for Sal’s perfect vacation.”

Diana felt her heart sink a little, but she tried to keep her voice light. “Remember you by? Will I not see you again after this?”

Ivy is quiet for a moment. “Well, it isn’t like we run in similar social circles.”

“We both know Harley.”

They both laugh at that. “I guess we’ll have to see. Who knows what the future holds?”

“Cheers to that.” Diana offers her water bottle for a toast, and Ivy humors her.

They finish their meal in a comfortable silence, but the weight stays in Diana’s chest. They return to the market and only head back to the Parthenon once the sun is setting low in the sky. All the while, Diana tries to think up excuses to visit Ivy once their mission is complete.


	13. Chapter 13

The Parthenon at night was a sight to behold.

The pillars of the ruins were illuminated brilliantly, and the yellow lights made the white marble appear gold. Though the temple had been destroyed ages ago, it still shone with a brilliance worthy of the Gods that night.

“It’s beautiful…” Diana murmured.

“It is impressive.” Ivy relented, walking ahead of Diana when she didn’t move forwards. “Now we might want to hurry here. I doubt we’re allowed to walk the grounds at night, so we’ll have to be sneaky.”

“We should stick together then, to keep an eye out for guards or groundskeepers.”

Ivy nods and they are careful to keep quiet as they hurry up the steps to the Parthenon.

They search the ruins again, inside and out, and come up with nothing.

“Okay, this is getting ridiculous.” Ivy huffs, sounding just as frustrated as Diana felt. “Were we wrong? Was the next location not the Parthenon?”

“Let met see the note again.” Diana offers her hand, and after rooting around in her pocket, Ivy gives her the note. She reads it over several times, and shakes her head. “Well, there are other temples dedicated to Athena, but this one is the most well-known. I can’t imagine they’d try and trick us this late in the game.”

“Is there any part of the ruins we’ve looked over? Maybe another part of the temple that isn’t technically connected to this?”

Diana thought for a moment, then she had the urge to smack her own forehead. “There’s an olive tree atop the acropolis.”

“Yes, I’ve seen it several times now. A beautiful tree. An old one as well.”

“Have you asked it about the hint?”

Ivy hesitates, is quiet for a moment, and then blushes. “It- someone tied a note to its upper branches just before we got here.”

Diana gives her a reassuring smile. “It’s alright. I’m sure we’re both just tired from this trip. Let’s get our hint.”

Ivy begins to lead the way. Just as she is about to round the corner out of the ruins, the redhead startles and backs into Diana. Alert and ready for another attack, she grabs onto Ivy as she is pulled into a nook between a pillar and some rubble. She holds Ivy close, turning them as best she can in the tight spot so that she covers Ivy with her own body.

And then she sees a simple security guard come into their view, glance about, then mosey along his way.

Diana sighs out the entirety of her chest, and she feels Ivy tremble under her grip. She looks down, worried she might have hurt her in the shuffle, but quickly realizes she’s trying to hold in laughter. Diana lets out a different kind of sigh as they wait for the guard to move further away, with Ivy still laughing into her shoulder.

When they unfit themselves from the nook, they hurry down to the olive tree and Ivy has it drop the note right into her hand. Diana looks over her shoulder as she opens it, and they both scramble to catch the little envelope that falls out of the folded paper.

“Damn, I can’t read it. It’s too dark.” Ivy holds the note close to her nose before giving up and pocketing the letter and envelope. “We can read it when we get back to the hotel.”

Diana agrees, and then gets an idea.

“It’s a beautiful night tonight.”

Ivy raises an eyebrow at her, and Diana wonders at how she already is on to her. “It is…”

“And the starts are out in mass.”

“Well, there aren’t any clouds tonight. A wonder in a city.”

Diana offers her hand. “Would you like a better view?”

Ivy’s smile is devious, and she takes her hand. “You’re spoiling me today.”

“Everyone deserves to be spoiled sometimes.” Diana pulls her close and wraps an arm around her torso.

“Be careful, I might come to expect it.” She teases as their feet lift off the ground.

Diana carries Ivy up to the top of the Parthenon and they seat themselves just out of sight of the ground. Feeling inspired, Diana begins to point out constellations she knows and tells Ivy the stories behind them.

She sees Leo, Cygnus, and Pegasus, and Ivy finds Sagittarius and Hercules and Libra. Ivy listens intently, toying with the charms on her necklace. When Diana has named and explained all the constellations she can find, Ivy introduces her to a game she and Harley played while camping in the Amazon.

“Look, it’s easy.” Ivy had them both lie flat on their backs, with their heads right next to each other, and points to the sky. “Those three in a line there, and those two branching off of it… and there, those six in a circle looks like a flower.”

“It kind of does,” Diana plays along, though she can’t quite tell which ones she’s making out.

“And now we make up a story.” She thinks for a moment. “Once upon a time, there was a child that painted the most beautiful flower in the world. She cherished that flower and wanted to keep the picture forever. But one day, she misplaced her picture. She asked her parents, her friends, and all her neighbors to help her find it, but it was gone.

“She cried over her flower, sad to have lost it, and a… a goddess heard her cries. The goddess came to her, and when she heard the child’s tale, she asked the girl to paint her another picture of the flower, and when she did, she hung the painting in the stars, so she’d never lose her flower again.”

Diana smiled. “A sad but sweet story, like most epics. Well done.”

“I may or may not have taken inspiration from some of Harley’s stories. I can find the patterns, but I’m not good at the story telling.”

“Well, how about you find the patterns, and I’ll tell a story?” She suggests.

“Alright…” Ivy trails off as she looks up at the night sky. “Those two lines there, and the circle they branch off from. They look like two people making a circle with their hands.”

Diana scrambles for ideas. “Ah, I have one. Those two girls are the closest of friends. They loved dancing and singing with each other and wished to spend the rest of their days with each other in eternal happiness. But one day, suitors came for the girls, and wished to take their hands in marriage.”

Ivy lets out a huff. “Just like men to ruin something so good.”

Diana raises an eyebrow and continues her story. “Men _and_ Women alike sought the two for their beauty and kindness, but the girls feared separation. None of their suitors came from the same place, and if they accepted any offers they would be torn apart for sure. So, they prayed to their goddess to never be separated.

“And the goddess answered. ‘Dance,’ she told them, ‘Dance and play and love forevermore.’ And when they did, the goddess placed them in the stars, so they may never be apart.”

“You’re way better at this than me.” Ivy smiled.

“I know many stories, and my sisters and I played a similar game when I was a child. But we’d retell the stories of old constellations, and we all would have to make up a single sentence and put them together to form a new story.”

“I’m sure some pretty wild stories were made from that game.”

“Too many to remember.” Diana confirmed with a laugh.

They play a few more rounds, before a comfortable silence surrounds them. Diana sits up and looks out across Athens.

“A glorious view.” Diana comments as Ivy shifts to sit up with her. “Like a God looking down upon their township.”

“As a Demigod, will you be joining the stars someday?” Ivy asks. “Like Hercules or Orion?”

“Maybe, and if I do, I hope it not to be any day soon.” Diana sees Ivy has a far off look in her eye, one she had seen before. Back in the sauna and when she questioned her about her false death.

“Was it frightening?”

The question surprises Diana. “Was what frightening?”

“To learn you could live forever?”

Diana senses that this is uncomfortable territory, so she treads lightly. “I grew up knowing of my longevity. I may be a demigod, but I am not immortal. I can still die in battle, or of illness or famine.”

She is quiet for a moment, her jaw working quietly as she works up the courage to speak. “I… don’t think I can die.”

Seeing this is deeply upsetting to Ivy, she takes the woman’s hand and notices her pale skin has begun to turn green again. Diana finds that she prefers the green now.

“There was an accident a few months back… and then back in the cave… I was- I _should_ be dead. Twice over at least, but I keep coming back. _And_ I haven’t aged a day since the accident made me _this_.”

Ivy refuses to meet her eye, but she grips her hand back as if she fears letting go. Diana tries to think up something reassuring to say, but she knows no immortals other than the Gods, and even they can die given the right circumstances.

“I… only ever feared my longevity when I fell in love with Steve Trevor,” Diana admits, deciding Ivy would want her honesty rather than her pity. Ivy does look to her then, slightly inclining her head. “The pilot. I loved him, and he loved me. I had never known such a wholehearted love before. I hadn’t even noticed he was aging until I looked upon a picture of us ten years after we had met.

“On Themyscira, I had nothing to fear. No one to lose. In the outside world, I find myself trying to feel every second that passes us by, afraid I will miss out on moments with the ones I care for.”

Ivy’s eyes are glistening, and Diana knows she’s struck a chord with the woman.

“There is no shame in fearing the loss of the ones you love, Ivy-”

“Pamela.” Ivy turns away and scrubs her cheeks with her free hand. “Please, call me Pamela.”

Diana fights down a grateful smile at being gifted such a privilege, “There is no shame in fearing loss, Pamela. I fear losing the ones I love every day, and al I can do is spend what few spare moments I have with them- without neglecting my own needs.”

“How in the hell do you do that?” Iv- no, Pamela sounded genuinely miserable.

“Practice?” Diana shrugged. “I don’t think loss ever gets easier, but you come to know what to expect when it happens. Change is natural, and there isn’t much we can do to stop it.”

Pamela lets out a soft huff. “ _Death_ is natural. I don’t understand why I’m being denied it.”

“Maybe you still have a greater role to play?” Diana suggests. “The gods revive heroes when they are needed in the world. Maybe nature saves you because it still needs you to fight for it?”

She smiles softly. “Even if the fight is hopeless?”

“No, it isn’t hopeless.” Diana pulls Pamela close to her side, luxuriating in the feeling of the woman’s head resting against her shoulder. Diana thinks for a moment. “They will never replace the ones you love, but if it is loneliness you fear, I will take you to Themyscira. You will be welcomed amongst my sisters, and they will live long with you.”

“Truly?” Pamela’s spring green eyes find hers, and she sees a glimmer of hope in them.

“Truly. Whenever you desire, I shall take you there, and if I fall in battle before then, I shall inform my sister Troia of this promise, and she will uphold it in my stead.” Diana vows.

Pamela is quiet, and then gives her a full, grateful smile. “Thank you, Diana.”

She pulls Pamela close and kisses her forehead lightly, and the two lean against each other as they watch the city lights for a little while longer. When they stand to leave, Diana hears a coo from behind them, and when she turns, she sees an owl and white dove perched together on a pillar opposite to them.

“Diana, what are you looking at?” Pamela questions her but turns too late to see the two birds as they glide off the pillar and into the darkness.

Diana feels her heart skip a beat. A smile tugs at her lips as she swoops Pamela off her feet and carries her all the way back to their hotel.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sadly, there's only three or so more chapters to go with this...  
> If you all have any ideas for more stories, feel free to hit me up. I've got nothing really planned after this and Redwood wrap up, and both are going to be drawing to a close soon. I'll be sure to credit you for any ideas I do end up taking.

Pamela dreamt of Harley that night.

She dreamt of all the times she had left her alone, of all the times she came back… she dreamt of the night that she _stayed_ , and of when she struck out to pave her own way in the world. She dreamt of the pride she felt for Harley, and the love they shared whenever they were together. She dreamt of Mason, and how he hung off Harley’s every word, and she dreamt of the fear she felt when she read the letter for the first time.

Then, the dream shifted.

She then dreamt of ocean blue eyes and midnight black hair. She dreamt of olive skin and strong arms wrapped around her waist. All the while, she knew another set of blue eyes was on her, and that knowledge made her skin crawl and her stomach sink. Baby blue eyes were watching her galivant around Europe with another woman. Betrayed eyes, hurt eyes…

Pamela woke with a start. The room was dark, but the clock on the nightstand read that it was late in the morning. Rain pattered against their window lightly, and through the darkness Pamela made out the shape of Diana’s still sleeping form in the other bed.

_Harley._

She felt ill remembering the night before, of having spilled her heart out to Diana. She felt embarrassed for being so weak, and guilty for having shared her fears with the Amazon instead of with Harley, her best friend and lover.

In the dark, she dressed herself and quietly slipped out of the room and onto the covered balcony next to her bed. Sitting at the little table squeezed into the small space, Pamela took up the necklace Diana had bought for her and toyed with the charms along its chain.

She was too embarrassed to admit she had taken interest in the necklace because she had thought it would make a cute and slightly ironic gift to Diana but thought better of it in the end. But then of course, Pamela didn’t expect Diana to see her examine the necklace or to be so bold as to buy it for her as a gift.

The memory of it made Pamela smile to herself, and her heart fluttered a little.

 _Harley_.

She clenched the charms tightly in her hand, bringing her fist up to her chin as she winced against the thought of the blonde.

Pulling away from her internal struggle, she thought about the next hint, which she had left on the nightstand between her and Diana’s bed. She didn’t want to accidentally rouse the woman, especially since they had stayed up so late last night but sitting out here with her thoughts running wild as they were would certainly be a detriment to her own health.

She chose a middle ground, having grabbed her phone from her bag before stepping into the cool morning air. Taking a moment, she updated everyone on the Harley situation and checked in on some of her business projects. One was set to be cancelled, the other was turning out to be far more lucrative than expected… still, she couldn’t manage to feel any way towards her current line of work.

She couldn’t feel any way towards anything at the moment, her head still locked between two different sets of blue eyes.

“Pamela?” Diana’s voice makes her jump after ending a very arduous phone call with realtors about some of her property in Canal point. “Is everything alright?”

She schools herself immediately as the woman joins her across the small table. “Of course. Seems we slept in a little.”

“Apparently.” Diana gives her a gentle smile, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. The Amazon shifts, and places the note between them on the little table. “We’ve waited quite a while, it’s probably time to resume the game.”

Pamela nods, hiding away her anxiety. Diana opens the note, handing her the little envelope as she read it aloud.

_“idk you’re going to Rome. Don’t miss your show~”_

They blink at each other, and Pamela hesitantly opens the envelope. Two tickets fall into her hand. As she reads the showing, her blood runs cold.

“You’re fucking kidding me…” She seethes.

“What?” Diana takes the tickets as Pamela buries her head in her hands. Diana jumps up after she reads it. “Great Hera!”

A sex show.

This creepy ass mother fucker was sending them to a sex show.

The balcony falls into an awful, uncomfortable silence. With the hotel, at least they could pretend like there weren’t any undercurrents. They could pretend this was all just a poor joke meant to get under their skin.

This was wholly different. There’d be no pretending tonight.

Diana finds her voice first after audibly swallowing. “We- we’d best hurry. Rome will take a few hours to reach in the Jet, and these tickets seem awfully formal. There might be a dress code to adhere to.”

Pamela rubs the bridge of her nose and nods with an annoyed groan.

They packed their things and made for Italy. Pamela looked up the location and found that their humiliation would be two-fold, as the show was at a prestigious BDSM lounge. A single ticked alone to one of their showings cost hundreds of dollars, and while there was no recommended attire, she was sure there was at least an unspoken standard.

She and Diana also seemed to be on the same page about taking their sweet time preparing for the show. Pamela dozed most of the way to Rome as neither were in a very talkative mood, and when they arrived the found themselves a hotel for the night before beginning to search for something to wear.

It was a rainy day in Rome as well, and they purchased an umbrella to use as they visited boutiques for dresses and outfits.

“I’m afraid I’m not quite sure what is to be expected.” Diana admitted as they left the third shop they had visited in an hour.

“The lounge seems to be classy, but then again it’s a sex club, so nicer than business casual, but no ball gowns.” Pamela said as she guided them into another dress shop.

“That… doesn’t narrow anything down for me.” Diana deadpanned.

“I’m sure we’ll find something here.” They had walked into a women’s dress shop, and there were wall to wall dresses on display for all manner of events.

Knowing generally what she was looking for, Pamela decided to help Diana out first. They found a few dresses that seemed to fit the look of the lounge, but didn’t scream that they were going to a sex club.

Pamela waited outside of a fitting room with a pile of rejected dresses, waiting for Diana to come show her the next. “I hadn’t guessed you’d be so choosey about this.”

“What do you mean?” Diana called out from behind the door.

“You’ve got a pretty clear style already,” Pamela looked through some of the dresses they had said maybe for. Most of them were patterned or had some elegant folding or seams, nothing she would have picked out for the woman. “And none of these fit the bill.”

Diana hesitated. “Well- I don’t know the appropriate attire for one of these functions.”

She sounded nervous. Pamela couldn’t say she herself was intimidated by going to such a club, but she _was_ a little stressed out by the idea of attending one of their shows with Diana. She didn’t dare wonder if the dark-haired woman felt the same way.

“How about I hunt down something that seems more you, and I’ll get back to you?” She offered, suddenly feeling a little antsy.

“Alright but be quick. I can’t reach some of these zippers.” Pamela smiles at no one as she heads back into the main store. She had seen a dress earlier that she thought might look nice on the woman, and miraculously found one in her size. It was a simple ruby red cocktail dress with long bell sleeves. Pamela guessed it would match well with a pair of black flats or sandals.

Taking up the dress, she took it back to the changing room and tossed it over the door. “Try this.”

Diana took a few moments to pull on the dress and exited the fitting room, and Pamela’s mouth dried up in an instant. The dress hugged her fit form perfectly, and the sleeves evened out her broad shoulders in a very flattering way.

She looked Diana up and down and gave her an honest smile. “It’s beautiful.”

Diana seemed genuinely happy with her choice. “You were right. I think I’ll have this one.”

Pamela picked out her own dress quite quickly, a long blue-green bodycon dress with a plunging neckline, much to Diana’s detriment. The poor woman seemed unable to draw her eyes away from her chest when she showed it off. It made Pamela feel oddly confident.

They returned to their hotel room in order to complete their looks with some light makeup and dressed themselves before heading out again, hailing a taxi to take them a block away from the venue.

When they arrived, all of Pamela’s anxieties returned, even as she and Diana walked arm in arm to the front doors. They gave the doorman their tickets, and he warmly welcomed them inside. Thankfully or not, they weren’t overdressed, nor were they underdressed for the lounge, and they quickly found seating near the bar.

“I feel like I should be drunk for this.” Diana said as she flagged down the bartender.

Looking down the wall of liquor bottles, Pamela gave a small huff of a laugh. “I’m sure they make a killing off drinks here.”

Diana ordered some hard liquor while Pamela simply took a glass of red wine. The Amazon had a point, though. Pamela really would rather to be drunk instead of sober at the moment. She thought about offering rectify that with a kiss, but after everything that had happened last time and… and whatever was brewing between them, she refrained.

And Diana didn’t ask about it.

After a few shots, Diana also ordered some wine and they found some nicer seats at the back of the sitting area.

“This has all got to be just some sick joke at this point.” Pamela murmured into her drink as someone stepped onto the stage and welcomed everyone to the show. “We have no connections to each other, few shared interests, and now all the sex stuff? Someone’s just screwing with us.”

“And using Harley as bait?” Diana laced her fingers together and rested her chin on her knuckles. “No, there’s something else going on. There’s some sort of bigger meaning behind this, else I could have been paired with _anyone_. Instead, they paired me with you, Harley’s closest friend.”

Pamela had the sudden urge to correct her about her and Harley’s relationship, but bit her tongue. She and Harley really were just best friends at this point, just with added benefits. That thought hurt more than Pamela would have liked to admit. But it was best for both of them. Harley had her life to live, and she had her own. The two of them being together and being exclusive would just make things messy.

Their chat ended as the show began. Pamela was sure she’d spend most of the act making hard eye contact with the backs of people’s heads, but quickly found herself sucked into the performance. Diana seemed to be equally as enthralled when she cast the Amazon a side glance, though a deep blush had settled on her face. She was sure she had one as well. Thank goodness for low lights.

There was a small break in the performance, and Pamela felt as if she had been holding her breath for the entire time.

“That was…” Diana began, a little uncomfortable now that it was over.

“Interesting?” Pamela supplied.

“Yes,” Diana nodded, still looking towards the stage. “Interesting’s the right word.”

“I guess it’s just sex. There’s nothing really to be embarrassed about.”

“No, I guess there isn’t. I just don’t believe I’ve ever witnessed something like this before, especially out in public.”

“What, you don’t watch porn?” Pamela tried to joke.

“No, I don’t.”

 _Well, shit._ “If I’m being honest, neither do I. This won’t be a night I’ll be forgetting any time soon.”

Diana scoffed as she stood, taking up their glasses to get refills. “You could say that again.”

She saw Diana do another round of shots at the bar before returning, but was stopped by a middle age man, who clapped her on the shoulder and said something to her with a laugh. Pamela tilted her head when she made eye contact with the Amazon, who looked like a deer caught in headlights. She managed to say something back to the man and excuse herself from the conversation before returning to the table.

“What was that about?” Pamela asked.

The poor woman’s cheeks were still flushed as she sat down. “Oh, he assumed we were on a first date, and guessed I was trying to loosen myself up.”

Pamela laughed at that. “What a place for a first date!”

Diana eventually joined her and the show began again. They both enjoyed it more now that their laughter had broken up the last airs of awkwardness at their table. They commented on positions and outfits and sat back and watched the bar erupt when a drunken fight broke out and bouncers swarmed the area.

As they left the club, Pamela was surprised to feel as if the night had salvaged itself slightly. They walked arm in arm together under their shared umbrella, visiting a nearby club that wasn’t sex themed for some late-night food, but even as they returned to their hotel in the early hours of the morning, Pamela felt as if her skin was buzzing with excitement.

She had Diana unzip her dress, and it felt as if her entire back was lit on fire, and worse than that, Diana took a moment longer than needed to let go of the zipper and step away from her. They had gotten a room with separate beds again, and the Amazon quickly made her way to her own and slipped her dress over her head before finding some night clothes to wear.

Pamela watched her, letting her eyes travel down the woman’s shoulders and spine…

_Harley._

Swallowing the thick lump in her throat, Pamela grabbed some of her things and headed into the bathroom for a late-night shower. When she returned to the room, Diana was already settled down in her bed, and Pamela stared at the ceiling for far too long before finally falling asleep.


	15. Chapter 15

_The hint_.

She had been so in her own head the other night that she hadn’t even thought about it. It was the first thing on Diana’s mind when she woke up, shooting up straight in her bed and scaring Pamela half to death, so at least one of them was still wholly invested in the game.

They both dressed quickly and packed their things, planning to hurry to the Club and search for wherever the hint might have been left. They both about tripped over themselves when Pamela noticed a scrap of paper that had been slid under their door. Breathing a collective sigh of relief, they took a moment to read whatever was inside.

_You’ve done so well, I must say! But like all good games, it must eventually come to an end~_

_But there’s time for one more stop, in the city of romance!_

Something about that hint made a small thought click in the back of Pamela’s head, but it was so absurd and insane that she shoved it away without a second thought.

“There’s no specific place?” Diana took the note and turned it over a few times in her hand.

“None. I guess we’re being left to our own devices again.” She sighed, taking up their things again. “How long will the flight be?”

“Only a few hours. I’m sure we’ll find ways to entertain ourselves for a day.”

Just in case, they find themselves another hotel room as soon as they arrive in the city. They have a late breakfast at a small café not far away and try to decide what to do next.

“So, the note hints that the game is ending,” Diana says as they send the waitress for their bill. “Is Sal’s vacation almost over?”

“Right after they visited Paris, they went back to Germany to collect their kids and went back to America.” Pamela remembers.

“Did they do anything specific in Paris? Visit any monuments or the like?”

“I remember they went to the Eiffel tower, but that’s about it.”

“Well, we can explore for a while, and regroup once we know what’s around?” Diana offers.

Her ocean blue eyes are so sincere and inviting, but Pamela still feels guilt crawl up the back of her spine.

_No, to hell with this. Harley and I are in an open relationship for a reason. This **can** happen._

She smiles and agrees, and once their tab is paid, they hit the town.

Walking arm in arm, the two explore Paris unashamed. She could practically hear the romantic Parisian music fill the air between them as they visit boutiques and trinket shops all over town, cutting through gardens and wandering into historical monuments. Pamela toys with the idea of getting Diana a gift to make up for the necklace she had bought in Greece and makes sure to watch Diana’s reactions to everything that catches her interest.

But that really isn’t hard to do as she is already so focused in on Diana, and the woman is equally as attentive to her. They talk more than they shop, aimlessly wandering just to keep their feet moving as they commented on each other’s lives and interests. At some point their arms had pulled each other closer, and Pamela shoved down the little voice in the back of her mind, intentionally leaning into the touch.

Diana never says anything about it, but her grip on Pamela’s arm is sure and there’s a smile in her eyes whenever they catch each other’s eye. It feels good to simply exist in the strange bliss they had carved out of this odd game, but Pamela wasn’t about to think too hard on it, too grateful to have been given an opportunity to truly get to know the woman under the armor and tiara.

They eventually wander into a quaint little garden and find a bench to rest on. They sit so close to each other that no matter what they did they were always rubbing elbows. Diana clearly didn’t mind, though she did eventually throw her arm behind Pamela’s back and resting it along the back of the metal bench. Ever so casually, Pamela took the hand and pulled it around her shoulders, catching Diana’s cheeks reddening slightly from the corner of her eye as she did so.

Pamela couldn’t remember feeling so giddy about a crush before. With Harley, it had been a slow, gradual fall from a need for companionship, to friendship, to eventually a one-sided love that had hurt her more times than one. When Harley finally did leave Joker, there was never any wooing stages to their relationship. They were already so deeply in love with each other that there was this unspoken acceptance that they would be together forever.

This felt wholly different. This thing she felt for Diana was exciting and new, like a teen falling in love for the first time. She wanted Diana to look and listen to her, to touch her and let herself be touched in return. Her head ran wild with worries, and yet they only encouraged Pamela to push a little further in the hopes that Diana would react in some pleasant way.

_Did Diana feel the same way? She must, since she hasn’t pulled her arm back. Maybe if she leaned into her a little…_

Diana tightened her grip around Pamela as she leaned against the taller woman’s shoulder, and she was sure she was going to melt. Their conversation trailed off in favor of existing in each other’s presence, and it just felt so good.

“There’s a little café with a lookout on the river not far from here. They have nice teas.” Diana suggests after a while, and a little reluctantly, they both stand and before Pamela can offer her arm, Diana takes her by the hand and leads the way.

Pamela focuses on how full her chest instead of the awful guilt creeping up her spine.

They walk to the café in silence, enjoying the day and each other’s company, and when they arrive they order their drinks and settle at a table right up against the water.

“How do you like it?” Diana asks after they sip their drinks.

“It’s lovely.” Pamela holds in a chuckle at how the Amazon’s smile widens just the slightest bit more. “I’m usually not one for café brewed teas. It must be something in the air.”

“I’m not exactly impartial to tea, but this cup seems especially good.” Diana sits a little taller. “I think it’s the company.”

Pamela does laugh at her boldness. “You know what? I think that’s exactly it.”

Ocean blue eyes twinkle, and she toys with her cup. “Despite the circumstances, I’ve truly enjoyed your company this past week. It will be strange to not have you by my side once we free Harley.”

A stabbing guilt hits her stomach, and Pamela hides her pain behind the rim of her drink. “It will be nice not to potentially have Harley’s life looming over our heads, but… I will miss talking with you.”

Diana teases her drink a little more. “This doesn’t have to be the end, Pamela.”

“Does it, Wonder?” Pamela lets out a soft sigh. “I’m sure you get strange looks for even knowing Harley. How would the league feel knowing you’ve been rubbing shoulders with Poison Ivy?

“It doesn’t matter.” Diana reaches across the table and covers one of her hands with her own. “You haven’t been active in _years_ , and you’ve settled into a life that has left you off the League’s radar for months. Maybe… if your offered your assistance to the League, they’d welcome this friendship?”

The offer stung more than she was ever willing to admit. “I’m not a hero, Diana, and I have no desire to work within the confines of the League.”

“But think of what you can do with us!” Diana’s smile faltered, her brows furrowing together as she pleaded. “You can champion your cause with us by your side. People _listen_ to the League. They will be more willing to listen to you.”

“People aren’t like you.” Pamela twined their fingers together. “I hide under false names and change my skin in the hopes that even one person may listen. If I joined the League in any way as Poison Ivy, no one would care. They’d think of it as another attempt at a Suicide Squad. Besides, the work that needs to be done is not condoned by the League.”

“If you think the name ‘Poison Ivy’ might hurt your cause, it will only grow worse if you continue to unabashedly take lives.” Diana warns, but she isn’t angry. She’s desperate.

“I’ve no designs to kill,” Pamela reassures. “Unless for the safety of myself and the ones I love. I only mean that the league is too restrictive of itself. I am needed where the Green needs me, and I will go to wherever it beckons.”

“You are not its champion.”

“But I am a caretaker, and one of they only people in the world that can hear its cries.” Pamela feels the grip on her hand tighten, and Diana’s eyes flicker as she tries to think up something else to say. Pamela speaks up before she can, though. “Let’s not argue, please? We don’t know how much longer we have to enjoy this. Let’s make it count.”

Diana locks eyes with her, and Pamela’s heart wrenches at the sincere sadness reflected in them. Then, the woman’s face turns determined. Her jaw sets, and her face steels. “Yes, we shall make every hour count.”

Pamela thinks she should feel a little afraid as Diana knocks back the rest of her drink and leaves their table to pay the tab. She hurries to finish her own tea as Diana returns to their table, and when she stands the Amazon wraps an arm around her waist and holds the top of her hip. Pamela knows her face is on fire as she is led away from the café and down to the river below.

They board a little gondola and Diana has them sitting almost impossibly close. Their guide tells them about the city and Diana adds comments on his little performance as they go along, but all Pamela can focus on is that hand holding her hip. The man says something in French, and Diana responds in kind with a laugh.

“He says we must be models to be so beautiful.” Diana translates.

“Did you at least thank him for that?” Pamela tries to swing back into their rhythm with a tease.

“I told him one of us was modeled after a goddess, and that I am not vain.”

 _Ba-dump!_ Well then! Two could play at this game.

“Forgive me, but I thought _you_ were the demigod here?”

Diana’s smile turns almost predatory, and the hand at her hip lightly trails up her side. “And yet all of nature has deemed you too valuable to the world for death.

Pamela elbowed her roughly, but couldn’t hide the smile from her face.

Diana took over for the tour guide, telling Pamela all of the wonders of Paris that they had yet to have seen. When they disembarked, the sun is already setting in the sky. Pamela is just about to suggest visiting the Eifel Tower to at least look at the monument when Diana pulls her close and guides them to another part of the city.

“If this is one of our last nights together, I’d like to truly make it count.” Diana said as they entered a boutique.

They both try on a few outfits, both choosing increasingly immodest outfits to tease and poke fun at each other with, but they both settle on some more conservative clubbing attire. Pamela chooses a tight red-black dress and black stockings while Diana chooses black skinny-jeans, a white shirt, and a black blue jacket. It’s all simple, but Pamela wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Diana drags her to a beautiful restaurant on the river after dropping her hero name with a manager, and they are tended to like royalty and given fancy wines and dishes to taste and pick at as they wait for the clubs to open.

Diana had dialed up her charms to eleven tonight, and it certainly hadn’t gone unnoticed. It felt so uncomplicated and _good_ to be so openly pursued by someone she was interested in. When they paused to watch a beautifully lit boat pass by their tables, Ivy thinks of how differently things had been between her and Harley.

For so long, her love for the blonde had been one sided and… she hated to admit it, but borderline toxic. She had chased Harley’s affections like a starved dog for years before getting thrown a bone, and then finally winning the grand prize and learning that there was so much more than she bargained for.

With Diana, Pamela knew she was toying with fire, but everything was mutual and easy. She had little doubt about her feelings for Diana, and she pretty much was certain that the Amazon felt the exact same way. But the gaping hole between them that Diana was so willing to jump over was dark and frightening.

But Diana wasn’t going to give her any time to worry. As soon as their meal was over, they walked to a nice club with thumping, fast paced music, and they began to dance.

The crowd seemed to part for them as they moved together. Their bodies in almost-perfect sync as Diana led the routine. Her hands would ghost across hips and arms, and when Pamela turned around and danced against her front, she all to eagerly would grind against her, lost in the music and the lust of it all.

When they paused for a breath, Diana leaned in close. “I’d like to get a little tipsy tonight, if you don’t mind.”

Pamela grimaced at the thought of accidentally getting shit faced with the hero again, so she leaned in and kissed Diana’s cheek teasingly.

“Then you’d best get drinking.” She practically sang.

Diana only looked disappointed for a moment before flagging down a bartender and ordering them both some fruity drinks to share.

They danced until they had to ditch their heels, and then got thrown out when someone snatched them off the booth they had claimed. Pamela had to drag Diana away from the crime scene and simply found a little bush, weaving the leaves into some makeshift shoes for their feet.

By this point, it was nearly three in the morning, but Diana wasn’t done with her yet. Scooping Pamela up in her arms, the Amazon flew them to the top level of the Eifel tower.

While she wasn’t usually one to admire cityscapes, Pamela did enjoy the bright lights of the city in the darkness. When she approached the railing, Diana came up behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist, resting her chin on her shoulder.

It was so simple. So wonderful.

Pamela had truly fallen in love with Diana for just a few days, and she knew Diana was putting on a show so she could say yes… and for the first time, Pamela began to doubt her decision.

“Pamela,” Diana pulled her out of her bliss for a moment. “I understand your resentment towards the League, I truly do. I had just thought… it would make this easier.”

Pamela turns in her grip, looking deep into her ocean blue eyes. “Make what easier?”

Diana readjusts her grip, taking up Pamela’s hips and pulling her close. Pamela rested her hands on her shoulders and they both lean in, the air between them magnetic.

“This…” Diana’s eyes slide closed as she leans in.

_Harley._

**_Harley._ **

**_Harley!_ **

A hand is between them suddenly, three fingers resting lightly on Diana’s lips.

Pamela wants to cry as Diana’s eyes open in surprise.

“Diana… I’m sorry.” Pamela whispers. “I can’t.”


	16. Chapter 16

Diana opened her eyes the moment she felt those fingers press against her lips, and she saw that Pamela was nearly in tears.

“I’m… I’m so sorry.” The fingers began to fall away from her lips, and Diana quickly grabbed her wrist to hold them steady as she kissed her fingertips, burying the grief she felt deep inside of herself.

She knew she was asking too much of the former villainess. To come into Diana’s world and offer up her heart… She had hoped to show Pamela what she could offer her; show her the happiness they could share if she said yes.

But it was too much.

“Now is not our time.” Diana chooses her words carefully as she twines their fingers together and presses her forehead against Pamela’s. “Your heart lies elsewhere.”

Pamela winces. “I’m sorry…”

“Never be sorry for how you feel.” Diana says firmly. “I know you feel stuck between your life’s work and your own happiness, but you have forever to work and only years to love. Cherish her, Pamela. Cherish her and hold her close, because _she_ doesn’t have forever.”

Silent tears roll down her green cheeks, and Diana pulls Pamela into a comforting hug even though her own heart was breaking.

They return to their hotel room and find a note taped to their door, but both are too drained to even think of opening it. They place it on the nightstand between their beds and catch a few hours of much needed sleep.

When they awoke the next morning, they took their time bathing and dressing themselves, a sorrowful and almost uncomfortable silence filling the rooms they shared. When they finally took up the note, Diana wasn’t sure if she should feel relieved or not.

_There’s no place like home, right Pam?_

They check out of the hotel and pick up a little something for a late breakfast before boarding the invisible Jet for hopefully the last time.

The contrast from their flight to Europe to the flight back to America was so upsetting. She had been so ready to learn about and listen to the redhead, asking her questions about her work and speaking freely about her own career as if they were new friends. Now, all Diana wanted was silence, and Pamela gave it to her without a word, sleeping all the way to Gotham.

Neither are sure what to expect as they creep through the threshold, but what they certainly aren’t expecting to see is Harley and an old cyborg man in a wheelchair sharing beers in the living room. And with how they both choked on their drinks as Pamela opened the door, Diana guessed the two hadn’t been expecting them either.

“Uhh…” Harley looks like a deer in headlights, but then her eyes clear for a moment and she offers the two her beer. “Drinks on me?”

There’s a beat of silence, and then another… and then Pamela absolutely explodes.

“Are _you **fucking SEROIUS?!?!**_ **”**

Everyone in the room recoils at her shout, even the plants shrink away from the enraged redhead.

“I fucking thought- no, I fucking _couldn’t_ believe you were that fucking stupid! How could you pull this fucking bullshit on me?!” Pamela is pacing between them, spitting insults and so angry she can barely complete a thought.

Diana entertains the idea of jumping in and stopping her, but she’s pissed off too, now finally getting an inkling of what this nonsense all was about.

Pamela rages until she is out of breath, and she finally turns on Harley, still obviously seething. “You better have an _amazing_ explanation for this!”

Harley looks like a whipped dog at this point. So frightened at her girlfriend’s outburst and also oh so guilty. Diana has half a mind to call in one of her old warrants just to have her arrested right then and there.

“I- I just wanted ya ta not be so lonely, ya-know? Thought you and Wonder might make a cute match…”

Pamela freezes at the insinuation, a baffled silence fills the room. Diana wants to speak, but feels that it isn’t her place.

All of the redhead’s rage melts away, and her voice cracks as she says, “I don’t want anyone else but you.”

Pamela turns on her heel and retreats into her bedroom, and Harley stares after her, absolutely stunned. She looks between Diana and the cyborg, as if she’s trying to confirm what she heard.

Diana wants to leave. She feels hot with embarrassment and anger and… she’s so filled with pain. She takes the chance to speak before Harley can follow Pamela.

“Make things right, Harley,” She says as she turns back towards the door. “And _never_ contact me again.”

With that, Diana retreats back to her Jet and escapes the mess the blonde had created. But even as she returned to the Watchtower, Diana knew she wouldn’t escape the pain in her chest for a long time.

When she returns to her home, Diana goes through the clothes she had picked up on her trip, tossing away most of them and hiding what little she kept in the far back of her closet.

Supergirl and Creeper come to her when they hear she’s back, and she apparently looks such a fright that almost all of her League friends had stopped her in the halls more than once to ask where she had been or what happened to her. Diana makes it a rule not to lie, so she only tells them that she’s lost a dear friend, and they leave her alone after that.

Diana buries herself in work after that, taking back to back missions until she feels like she’s going to fall over her own feet from exhaustion. She takes a couple day’s to rest when she reaches that state, and then restarts the process, wearing herself down, resting, and on and on again until nearly two months pass by.

On a day where Diana can finally trust herself to feel again, she takes a few days off to be human. And somehow, in that time, Harley Quinn finds her while visiting a new exhibit in a Metropolis museum.

“What do you want?” Diana can’t stop her voice from sounding so poisonous, and she hates that she feels satisfaction at how Harley flinches at her tone.

“Just- justa clear some things up fer ya. Pammie says I owe ya at least that much.” Harley bows her head like a regretful child.

And Diana curses herself as she allows Harley to lead them to a small bench in a secluded part of the hall.

“I don’t know how much talkin you two did, but… Pammie and I are- well, _were_ , in an open relationship, but I was getting the feeling she wasn’t takin’ full advantage of it.”

“The basis for an open relationship is rarely just another excuse to have more sex.” Diana warns.

“Yeah, I get that now.” Harley looks a little sheepish. “I just thought… Yer an Amazon. You can like live forever and what not… I just thought Pammie might like havin’ someone like you…”

“Because of her immortality?” Diana confirms, and Harley nods.

“I knew she loved me a lot, and I though having anotha lady friend that could live forever with her might… be nice.”

“That wasn’t your decision to make.”

“I know, I just couldn’t think of anotha way to put you two in each otha’s paths. And Cy needed some help testin’ his new experimental robots, so I thought it might be a win-win. I help him test his bots, and he helps me put you two in situations that’d bring ya closer togetha.”

“You know those robots killed her, right? She might not have come back.

Harley winces at that, and tears gather in the corner of her eyes. “I know. I pulled tha plug on the robots after he told me about that. We as gonna send ya to Germany again to finish off Sal’s trip...”

Diana grits her teeth. She had taken a look at a map and plotted out the countries they had visited a few days after she had gotten back, and had they returned to Germany their trip would have made a heart on the map. How poetic was it that they hadn’t gone back to Germany, and left her with an incomplete and aching heart?

“How’d you get Cheetah in on this?” Diana asked.

Harley scratched at her head with a nervous laugh. “Oh, that? Pure coincidence at first. We heard she was doin’ some petty thievery in the area and had one of Cy’s robots whisper in her ear.”

Diana hates that Barbara had been pulled into this. She hated that she, herself, had been chosen for this game. She hated everything about this. But above all, she hated that Harley’s plan had worked-for the most part. There was just one variable Harley wasn’t privy to that made it all fall apart in one moment.

Diana let an uncomfortable silence fill the space around them, and she mercilessly allowed herself to enjoy watching Harley squirm under her gaze. Finally, she chose her words, and spoke.

“I understand your intentions were good and you were just trying to be helpful, but you had no right to attempt to force a relationship between us. Pamela and I had never met in a casual setting before, you had no idea if we would even work well together. Hell, I can’t imagine how things would have gone had we not gotten along. You placed us both in multiple uncomfortable and dangerous situations and I cannot forgive that.”

“I understand completely.” Harley says that with a straight face while looking directly into her eyes. “Pamela asked me to give somethin’ to ya, by the way.”

Diana tilted her head as Harley dug in her pocket and produced the golden chain with the three charms she had bought for Pamela in Athens. Seeing it again, without its intended owner, stirred something painful in Diana’s chest.

“Said she didn’t get anythin’ for ya in return, so she didn’t think it was fair.” Harley explained as she placed it on the table between them.

Diana willed herself to hold firm as she took the necklace and slipped it into her bag without a word. She stood to leave, but Harley stopped her again.

“Wonder, I know I ain’t deserving of anythin’ after all this, but can ya promise me something?”

Diana hates that she stops herself, but she can’t help but turn and incline her head to listen.

“Can ya give her another chance? In like a hundred years or so? I’m planin’ on bein’ the oldest lady on planet earth when I go, so I don’t think a hundred’s too long to ask fer you immortals to wait.”

Diana feels her façade begin to crack, and she can’t bring herself to deny such a request.

She does manage to make stipulations. “Only if she stays on the right path.”

“I’ll keep her new record squeaky clean for ya!” It’s astounding how fast she can bounce between moods.

Diana shakes her head with a sigh. “Goodbye, Harley.”

Harley calms herself for a moment. “Thanks Wonder. Fer everything.”

As Diana leaves the blonde at the little table, she feels tears threaten. She vows to never look upon Harley Quinn’s face again.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bomus Final Chapter will be out Thursday
> 
> Also I wrote a angsty Diana/Pamela short based off the Dark Knights DM Guidebook that came out last month. It's called   
> 'Match Made in Hell'

“Diana Prince,” Willow Quinzel, Chief Executive of the Isley Foundation greeted Diana coolly at the UN Summit on Climate Sciences.

Diana had managed to avoid the woman entirely for nearly ten years, but the fifty-year-old had sought her out like a shark attracted to blood in the crowded room.

Willow Quinzel was Harley Quinn and Pamela Isley’s great granddaughter. Daughter of Hailey Quinzel and Granddaughter to Lucy Quinzel. A legacy of Quinzels that reminded Diana so much of the energetic blonde she had completely severed from her life nearly a hundred and ten years ago.

“Willow Quinzel, your proposed bill is certainly making waves tonight.” Diana schools herself and responds with a formal smile.

“It’s not my bill,” Willow clarifies, taking a glass of champaign from a waiter when offered. She takes one for Diana as well and hands off the glass. “It’s Grandma Pam’s. First thing she’s worked on since Nana Harley passed.”

Diana finds it hard to keep Willow’s eye at her tone.

She had heard from the latest Batman- Bruce Wayne the Third, that Harley Quinn had passed away peacefully in her family home just a little over ten years ago now. Diana felt little grief for Harley, still holding onto some shreds of resentment from a hundred-year-old slight, but she did grieve for Pamela.

She had avoided the couple entirely after the fiasco Harley had placed them in, unable to forgive the blonde for her thoughtless actions. She made certain she was on the opposite side of the galaxy for their wedding, and coincidentally lost the invitation to Lucy Quinzel’s baby shower a few decades later. Every life event Harley had the audacity to invite her to, Diana avoided like the plague.

For years she had convinced herself it was out of anger towards Harley, but when the blonde had passed, she had to confront the truth; she wasn’t avoiding Harley, she was avoiding Pamela. Avoiding the glimpses of a life she could have shared with the green skinned woman.

“I heard of her passing; I am sorry for your loss.” Diana says, and Willow scoffs at that.

“Of course, of course.” She waves her off. “All I want is to know when you’ll buck up and visit her.”

“It isn’t my place.” Diana defends herself immediately.

“You made a promise.” Diana wonders where Harley is buried then, so she can spit on her grave.

“Look, I’ll admit I don’t enjoy the idea of Grandma Pam getting passed around like a slab of meat, but she needs a friend right now, and all her old friends are thirty to fifty years dead. She’s lonely, and the horde of great-great grandbabies isn’t helping like it used to.”

Diana knows that kind of loneliness all too well. The bone deep ache that makes it hard to ever consider making another friend again. “I’ll visit her soon. Where is she now?”

“Right now? Rio. But who knows where she’ll be next week?” Willow sings as she turns away.

Diana watches her retreat before sighing to herself. She checks her schedule on her phone, and there’s nothing but open space for the next week and a half. She wonders about maybe taking up a space mission for a few days, but knows she’s being cruel at this point.

She calls the watch tower, and J’honn answers. “Diana, is something the matter?”

“No, J’honn, I’d just like to request a few more days off.

“Has the summit been extended?”

“No, I just need to visit a friend.”

“I see. How long would you like?”

She thinks for a moment. “Three days.”

“Granted. I’ll see you upon your return.”

…

Diana entered the building a little cautiously. It had been a long time since she had seen Pamela, and she wasn’t sure how the redhead would react to her presence. She may have promised Harley to give Pamela a second chance after Harley’s death, but in all honesty she hadn’t taken it very seriously. Surely, Pamela would fall back into a life of crime, or Diana would lose her head and battle and break her promise merely by circumstance.

But in the thick of fighting, when Diana was on her knees, she would think of her family, her teammates, and then of her promise to Harley.

She’d think about holding Pamela close, their foreheads touching, hands firmly pressed into clothed skin. She’d think about the way Pamela’s delicate fingers pressed against her lips, and how she kissed them slowly, drawing a mournful smile across the redhead’s lips. Diana had feigned acceptance and understanding, but on the inside, she was seething with jealousy.

It had taken her years to truly understand the bond that Pamela had been so desperate not to tread upon; the one that Harley had tried to give away out of the good of her heart only to take it back and not let go for a hundred more years.

Just as the Joker had been Harley’s drug, Harley was Pamela’s. It was a good kind of drug, though. The kind that pulled Pamela out of her darkest days, and the one that held her fast to the right side of the law until she could stand there on her own. Whether she liked to admit it or not, Harley was Pamela’s hero, her knight in shining armor come to rescue a lovely nymph from the clutches of anger, insanity and loneliness.

Diana paused at the end of the long hall. English ivy was climbing out of the door-less entryway to the private lab Pamela often resided in. Despite what she felt for the blonde, Harley had made Pamela whole. Diana felt a little guilty for trying to reap the benefits of her work.

Still, their night in Paris was at the forefront of her mind, and the deep, aching want that had been pushed to the bottom of her chest was begging for her to continue. And so she did.

Stepping into the lab, Diana found the redhead working quietly before her desk. She seemed to be tidying up, shuffling around lab equipment and data chips. Even from behind, Diana can tell Pamela hasn’t changed a bit since they last saw each other. She couldn’t help but admire her beauty for a moment, giving the redhead the time to straighten her back and begin for her.

“Harley told me about your promise.” Diana had been called blunt ever since she had come to man’s world. She was pleased when she found Pamela could also cut straight to the quick like her fellow Amazons, but something about her tone told Diana something was wrong.

“Forgive us if it offended you.”

“Oh, it didn’t offend me. It _broke_ me.” Pamela didn’t turn to look at her, which made it all the worse. “Especially since Harley only seemed to remember it while on her death bed.”

 _Damn you, Harley Quinn._ “I assumed she told you.”

“She feared that I would be angry.”

“Were you angry?”

“No, I was hurt. I was hurt and in mourning… and I was scared to live life without her.”

Pamela hugged herself tightly, and Diana took the chance to move forwards. “She only wanted you to be happy, with or without her.”

The woman let out a dark laugh. “Well, at least you finally remembered your promise to her. I was beginning to think the incredible Wonder Woman was really going to break a vow.”

“I didn’t want to intrude upon your grieving. You two were together for a _long_ time.”

Pamela turned to her then, her face just as perfect and lovely as Diana remembered. “And you decided ten years was the appropriate amount of time to wait?”

Diana felt a little ashamed. In truth she also had been afraid of Pamela’s reaction to this. Afraid the woman would believe she was being handed around without consideration. Diana hadn’t even considered what Pamela might think of their promise until she heard that Harley had died.

When she had heard of Harley’s passing, Diana felt a sudden and intense shame. She couldn’t face Pamela so soon after she lost her wife of a hundred years. Even five years felt disrespectful. By year eight, Diana knew she was dragging her feet, but seeing Willow had given her the courage to make good on her promise.

“It took ten years for me to realize that no amount of time would be enough.”

Thankfully, that seemed to be the right answer. Pamela let out a huff and shook her head, a smile pulling at her lips. They were an arms width apart, and Diana knew it needed to be the redhead to reach out first.

“Where would we even begin, Diana? Where we left off in Paris? Pretend everything in the past hundred years didn’t happen?”

Diana felt hope flutter in her chest. Taking a risk, she pulls a golden chain from her pocket and offers it to the redhead.

“We begin whenever and however you want. Just know that I am not offering myself because of the promise. I offer myself because I still want you. I’ve held it down for a long time, and now- standing here before you, I want you just as badly as I did on the Eifel tower. But if you want to start anew, I am willing to wait a while longer.”

Pamela watches her carefully, her beautiful green eyes searching Diana’s face. She lets out a soft sigh, smiles, and takes the necklace from her hands. “I’ve been thinking about that tower a lot recently.”

“I’m sorry for waiting so long.” Diana bowed her head, truly apologetic.

“No, you were right to wait. I was scared and grieving, and frankly angry that Harley had done such a thing behind my back. I would have been a monster if you come to me even two years ago.”

“And now?”

They locked eyes, and Diana knew all had been forgiven. “I’d like to start this where we left off.”

Diana felt her entire being relax as gentle hands cupped her cheeks. She placed her own hands on the woman’s full hips, pulling their fronts together. Her eyes fell shut as their lips met.

There was a moment, around thirty years ago now, where Diana helped Dr. Fate with some magical mayhem and earned a wish from a genie. She had been tempted for a moment to ask for something selfish; to remember that night when they had both gotten so drunk, she couldn’t remember the entire day before. She had thought better of it, and wished for something selfless.

It had taken over a hundred years, but finally kissing Pamela, and _remembering it_ , was well worth the wait.


	18. Bonus Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there's anything confusing or something that I forgot to explain, don't be afraid to ask in the comments!

Pamela is completely and immediately taken by Themyscira the moment she sets foot on the white sand beach. Diana had promised to take her to the island once, many years ago, but it was still a pleasant surprise to be invited to accompany her lover home. Meeting Diana’s family was an intimidating prospect, but she had survived encounters with Joker and all manner of other villains; she could survive meeting her girlfriend’s mother and sisters.

The meeting went… well enough.

They had arrived during a harvest festival, so most of Diana’s family were busy with tournament planning and celebrations. Hippolyta had only half-jokingly strong armed her into showing off some of her abilities to see if the infamous Poison Ivy was truly worthy of her daughter and was begrudgingly impressed by the Golden Delicious apple tree she grew from her hand in the throne room.

Diana’s sisters were also less than enthusiastic about her arrival, which didn’t seem to surprise Diana much. She was challenged to shows of strength, hikes around the island, and even races. That first week Pamela was certain her legs would give out from under her and her arms would simply fall off her body. Diana tried to curve her sister’s worst challenges, but Pamela already knew she wasn’t going to win any favors physically, so she simply tried winning them over with tenacity.

At the end of the first week, Pamela was completely and utterly exhausted. Diana had planned the trip to last for two weeks. One week to enjoy the festival and her family, and the second week to explore the island alone.

After packing a bag for them both, they hiked to a secluded part of the island where Diana had prepared a small hut for them before they had even arrived.

“I’m sorry they treated you so harshly.” Diana apologized as they bathed in a hot spring that was barely twenty meters from the hut’s back door. “They adored my last lover. It’s been hard for them to remember that it’s been fifty years since her death.”

“It took nearly two years for me to win over Harley’s Grandfather.” Pamela waved her off. Then, she thought for a moment. “Do they know everything about us?”

“Only what they need to know.” Diana wraps an arm around her waist and nuzzles her cheek sweetly. “They know about Harley, and how long you two were together. They know we met before, and that we reunited ten years after her death. They don’t know _what_ happened when we first met, or how I came for you.”

Pamela hums and leans into the touch, glad that she’s now mostly unbothered by the mentioning of her former wife and the beginnings of her and Diana’s relationship.

They wash each other tenderly and Diana decides to stay a little longer under the water while Pamela returns to the hut. She feels guilty as she walks back into the shelter alone, knowing her lover is probably tending to herself.

It’s been ten years since Diana found her again. The dark-haired woman was gentle and patient with her when it came to intimacy. There were few others that understood the depths of Pamela’s pain after Harley’s death, and fewer still would have waited so long.

Pamela and Diana both were unashamed of their bodies, and touched each other often, but had yet to make it through even one round of sex. It was hard in the beginning to not imagine Harley’s pale blue eyes or get frustrated when Diana didn’t immediately know how to please her.

It had taken far too long for Pamela to recognize that she was still grieving, and even more time to recognize her dissatisfaction stemmed from guilt for betraying her late wife’s ghost. Diana always reassured her though, reminding her that even a few years was nothing on the hundred she had spent with Harley.

Things had taken a turn five years ago when Pamela had casually referred to herself as a widow after someone mentioned the wedding ring that she now wore around her neck. That was followed almost immediately by a nearly two-day long cry, and Diana was there with her through it all. After that, Pamela felt herself take more steps forwards in the grieving process. It was hard and ugly, and she hated it every single day, but Diana had become her rock in the storm.

Because of Diana, she had survived the loss of her wife. It may have taken twenty years, but now she finally felt ready.

Pamela twisted her wedding ring around its chain, before taking it off her neck. She placed it in the small jewelry box she had brought with them and pulled out the golden chain with the three charms Diana had given to her years ago. Placing the necklace around her throat, she lit a few of the candles placed around the room and began to get everything ready.

It may have been a few years, but Pamela still knew how to prepare a room.

She dried her hair carefully, making sure to maintain her natural ringlet curls and allowing them to cascade down her bare back. Taking some of Diana’s favorite oils from her bag, she dabbed a few drops under her ears and reddened her lips with a little lipstick that tasted vaguely like cherries. Pulling back the blankets on the bed, she settled down on her belly with a book under the sheet- the sheet only covering a single leg and her rear, and waited for Diana to return.

Pamela wasn’t really reading. She tried to plan up something to say, but Diana could surprisingly be a wildcard when it she was taken off guard. She just hoped Diana was only quelling her desires and not thoroughly satisfying herself.

“Pamela,” Her stomach fluttered when she heard her lover’s voice. “Did you light some of the candles? We only have what what’s here, we should use them spar…”

Diana trailed off when she entered the room. Pamela glanced at her out of the corner of her eyes and casually rolled onto her side, pulling the silk sheet with her so it tastefully covered her hips.

“Sorry, I just thought they looked so pretty like this.” She doesn’t even try to be nonchalant about rubbing her thighs together and rolled one of her curls through her fingers.

Diana’s eyes darken in an instant, a knowing smile unhidden on her lips. She saunters over to the bedside, dropping the towel tied around her waist. “They _do_ look nice, but not as pretty as you.”

“Is that so?” Pamela stands slowly, making it a point to twist her hips and flick her hair to the side as she rises to meet Diana’s advances.

She takes up the Amazon’s face and kisses her slowly while strong hands find her sides. Carefully, she sidesteps until Diana is between her and the bed, and before her lover can pull away, she pushes her backwards.

She falls easily, and Pamela is quick to climb her legs and seat herself right atop her thighs. Moving forwards, she kisses Diana again and again, all the while her hands teased and stroked the Amazon’s abs and the undersides of her breasts.

Diana’s hands run up and down the sides of her legs, occasionally dipping back far enough for her to grope Pamela’s ass, and she is sure to encourage her lover with small gasps and pleased murmurs against her kiss swollen lips. Eventually, Diana abandons her lips to kiss up her jaw and nip at the sensitive point just under her ear.

“I want you, Diana.” Pamela is breathless already, and she almost feels ashamed for how excited she is.

She can feel the Amazon hesitate, and then pull away. Ocean blue eyes look up at her, and for the first time, she doesn’t immediately think of Harley.

“Are you sure?” She is trying to control her breathing, to appear more serious, and once again Pamela is reminded of one of the many traits in Diana that she had fallen in love with.

She answers her at first with a gentle kiss, wrapping her arms around Diana’s neck. “I’m sure.”

Even with that, Diana still is tender when she kisses Pamela again. She tries to reassure her lover by shifting her hips when hands reached back to cup her ass, and it works well until Pamela grows bold enough to grope Diana’s breasts.

The tides turn then, and Diana absolutely ravages her. The Amazon practically growled against her lips and suddenly flipped them, so Pamela was flat on her back with her legs crossed over her hips. Her kisses were firm and insistent, moving away from Pamela’s mouth again and down her throat while hands danced across her skin.

Pamela is lost in it all, having forgotten what if felt like to be tended to by a young body. There came a point in her and Harley’s love life where everything became one sided. Harley couldn’t be on top because she tired quickly, her fingers and tongue grew weak with age, and when wisps of her mind began to go Harley stopped attempting to pleasure her in return. Left to rely upon her own hands and memories sex stopped feeling good, especially when Harley’s health turned for the worst.

But under Diana’s attention, she remembered how _good_ sex could feel. She twisted and moaned when a hot tongue teased her, and when two slender fingers pressed inside and rocked against her sensitive inner walls, tears welled in her eyes. She cried when she came, singing Diana’s praises as the Amazon worked her through its throes.

Even when Diana resumed kissing her cheek and throat, giving them both pause to recollect and recover, Pamela knew she’d never get enough of this. When she had caught her breath, Pamela flipped them with vigor, eager to make her lover feel just as good as she had felt. Though Diana was notably quieter than she had been, hands gratefully pulled at Pamela’s hair when she tended to her swollen sex with tongue and fingers, and after she came undone Diana pulled her close, still trembling but still kissing her like the world was about to end.

By the time they had both collapsed onto the sheets, exhausted and satiated, Diana still had the strength to pull Pamela flush against her chest and kiss her lightly.

“Thank you,” She hummed into Pamela’s ear.

“For what?” Pamela asked, genuinely unsure.

“For trusting me.”

She smiled at that. “I should be the one thanking you.”

“Whatever for?”

“For being so patient.”

Diana smiled gently, pressing their foreheads together. “You were well worth the wait.”

Pamela remembers a verse from a poem in that moment. One that had moved her to tears once she had the courage to look up its meaning not long after Diana left her all those years ago.

“’She that fain would fly, she shall quickly follow,

She that now rejects, yet with gifts shall woo thee,

She that needs the not, soon shall love to madness”

Diana gives a soft laugh. “How in Hera’s name do you remember that?”

“I remember many things from back then. How could I ever forget your confession?”

“Well, will you follow me now? Woo me with gifts? Love me to madness?” It is a tease, but Pamela wants nothing more than to do just that.

“So long as you don’t lose your head in battle, I shall love thee for eternity.” She promises.

Diana takes her hand and twines their fingers together. “Then I have no choice but to keep my head and return your kindness.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus ends my extended argument as to why Wonder Woman and Poison Ivy might make an interesting couple.  
>  I hope you all enjoyed!


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